cohabitation

• Cohabitation or ‘living together’ has become increasingly the norm in contemporary Western Society

• In the past marriage offered financial and emotional stability

  • today women have more autonomy

• Cohabitation reflects the more informal nature of modern living, which doesn’t seem to need to formalise relationships

• With the taboo of premarital sex largely removed, living together for a short period of time or a lifetime has become a common part of modern life

casual cohabitation

• The least formal cohabitation relationship​

• A lack of long term commitment ​

• May begin with a casual sexual relationship and then develop​

• Partners usually share a common sexual and social life

trial marriage cohabitation

• Living together before marriage as a ‘trial’​

• It is argued that before taking such a serious step such as marriage that both partners should be sure that they are compatible.​

• Short term arrangement​

• Preparation for the next step = marriage

substitute marriage n ideological cohabitation

• Those who never marry but opt for a long-term relationship without marriage. There are two types:​

  • Those who are excluded from marriage – one partner may not be allowed to be remarried.​

  • Ideological reasons – choosing not to marry for many reasons such as disagreeing with the whole institution

Christian responses:

• The official position of all mainstream churches is that marriage is the most stable and satisfactory basis for family and sexual life - cohabitation is unacceptable!

• Trial marriage is more acceptable to LIBERAL Christians due to the process

• argued that marriage isn't just one event but a process starting with engagement, sexual relationship, marriage ceremony then children

• ​​The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu publicly supported Prince William and Kate Middleton's cohabitation as a sensible means of testing their desire to marry