Cohabitation Before Marriage: Why Are More American Couples Moving In Together Before Marriage?

More couples than ever are choosing to give cohabitation a trial before tying the knot, a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Moreover, the study drew the conclusion that more women live with their non-married significant others than with a spouse or by themselves.

Over 12,000 women and 10,000 men between 15 and 44 took part in the survey between 2006 and 2010. Among the women, 48 percent were living with their partner but not married to them. This is a significant leap from 1995, when only 35 percent women reported to do that.

The study also points out that fewer couples are now waiting until marriage to move in with each other. Only 36 percent women said they went to the altar first, a significant drop from the 39 percent in 1995.

Not only that, but couples are cohabiting much longer -- an average of 22 months in their first stint at living together. Of these, almost half (40 percent) lead to marriage, although that average varied according to socio-economical issues, with white women (44 percent), Latinas born in other countries (42 percent) and women with a college degree (53 percent) taking the lead.

Women living with their partner are also more likely to get pregnant now, researches said -- 19 percent in 2006, compared to 15 percent ten years before.

"Cohabiting couples may be waiting for improved financial stability before they make a decision to marry and, in the process, become pregnant and have a baby," said Casey Copen of the National Center for Health Statistics. "As you cohabit longer, there's more of a chance to become pregnant."

Nevertheless, research suggests that children of cohabiting couples don't do as well as those of married couples in terms of education and health, but the disparities were attributed to the financial stability of the times, said Corinne Reczek of the University of Cincinnati.

You can read the rest of the study here.