Discuss cohabitation among young adults.

Answers will vary. Cohabitation has become largely accepted as a mainstream style of life. We rarely hear cohabitation referred to as "living in sin" as we once did. People today are more likely to refer to cohabitation with value-free expressions such as "living together." Twenty-four percent of never-married adults aged 25 to 29 are currently cohabiting. The numbers of households consisting of cohabiting male-female couples in the United States has increased more than tenfold since 1960, from fewer than half a million couples to around 7.5 to 8 million couples today. More than half a million additional households consist of cohabiting same-sex couples. More than half of today's marriages are preceded by the couple living together. There is a 58% probability that a cohabiting American woman will marry her partner if the couple cohabit for three years. Some social scientists see cohabitation as a new stage of courtship. More than half of today's high school seniors believe that it is a good idea for couples to live together before getting married to test their compatibility. Young adults cohabit for many reasons. Cohabitation, like marriage, is an alternative to living alone. Romantic partners may have deep feelings for each other but are not ready to get married. Some couples prefer cohabitation because it provides an abiding relationship without the legal entanglements of marriage. The couple may also be testing the compatibility and endurance of the relationship prior to Tying the Knot. Willingness to cohabit is related to less traditional views of marriage and gender roles. For example, divorced people are more likely than people who have never been married to cohabit. Perhaps the experience of divorce leaves some people more willing to share their lives than their bank accounts. Cohabitants are also less likely than non-cohabitants to say that religion is very important to them. Tradition aside, many cohabitants are simply less committed to their relationships than married people are. It is more often the man who is unwilling to make a commitment, because men are typically more interested in sexual variety, at least in the short term. In the long term, however, both men and women may seek to invest in a relationship, feelings of love, companionship, and a sharing of resources. Economic factors also come into play. Young adults may decide to cohabit because of the economic advantages of sharing household expenses. Cohabiting individuals who receive public assistance risk losing support if they get married. College students may cohabit secretly to maintain parental support that they might lose if they were to reveal their living arrangements.