Chapter 15, Problem 1CC-P415

Summary Introduction

Introduction

Cohabitation is when a couple lives together in a sexual relationship without being married. The social selection explanation states that the kind of person who cohabits is the same kind of person who is willing to get divorced, and there is no causal link. The social causation theory argues that living together teaches people that relationships are easy to change or break up, therefore making divorce more likely too. Cohabitation does not cause divorce because as the former became more widespread, the latter did not increase at the same rate.