The "Piece of Paper" is meaningless in the face of "No Fault Divorce". 
Real reasons for living together out of marriage;
1) Woman can continue to collect alimony from previous husband.
2) Woman can collect State aid, medical and dental coverage for children.
3) If woman gets pregnant, can get State to pay for abortion if she wants it, or birth if she has it.
Its all about the nanny state taking care of unwed mothers. If she gets married, the couple is supposed to take responsibility for themselves. The system opposes marriage.
free milk
I don't disagree with the overall thrust of this article or with the last three points, but with regard to the first point that implies cohabiting makes divorce more likely I think that's bunk. What it reveals, in my view, is that the values of those who cohabit are already different from those who do not, and that these values predispose them to a greater likelihood of later divorce.
Why is everyone so eager to give up their individual single life PRIOR to getting married? I don't understand it.
Dont pay a fortunes for one day.
What really gets me, when smart articles like this come out, is the intellectual dishonesty of liberals that wraps the label "religious inspired intolerance" around any argument against the "liberal" things they try to defend. Even an atheist can read the study and conclude that "cohabitation" does not trump marriage, at any time in the "relationship".
Janice must not know any married men.
The other thing they leave out is this: you get more jaded every time you do it. I hate to admit it, but I've shacked up with six different partners in my 40 years (definitely not proud of it.) And every time, leaving is easier. Eventually you just feel too calloused to ever really bond with anyone. I doubt I'll ever marry (again)... it's just something I bungled early in life and that's it. You don't start fresh every time. Some things are fragile, and they can be ruined.
Hmmmmmmmmm.........I guess I'm an anomoly. My husband and I celebrated our 9th Wedding Anniverary last week, we'll be together 18 years come June, and our child is only 7.
Not entirely true. I have lived with my partner for over 16 years and I have friends who have lived with them just as long or longer. No problems - we just don't want to get married. Feelings are mutual about marriage on both sides. Most of my so-called married friends who had never lived with their partners before marriage are either divorced or are on that path. It depends on the relationship and the compatablity of the couple themselves.
The mindset that shacks up is the same mindset that doesn't rule out leaving.
The mindset that wants to marry has a goal of staying and being committed. It's not the living together to 'see if it works' that results in longevity.....it's the determination to stick it out.
My husband and I lived together before we married and we've been married now for 12 years. Not all fall into these broad percentages.
Until our courts make divorce a more equitable process, there won't be much incentive for men to marry, except to exploit women for sex or money. When simply saying "I do" means you give away half of everything you've worked for, any relationship takes on economic overtones whether you want it to or not. If you live together instead of marrying, at least you keep the state out of your bank accounts when the deal goes bad.
This is a great piece, frankly attacking the nonsense so many people (including a bunch of FReepers) use to justify their bad behavior. But it does not address the most important consequence of widespread cohabitation: the material poverty and psychological insecurity facing the children whose lives are caught up in their parents' unstable relationships. Our society pays a very high price for the selfish and short-sighted decisions of those who place their "freedom" above their responsibilities to their partners and their offspring.
Wow, where do I sign up for that?
The "Piece of Paper" is meaningless in the face of "No Fault Divorce".
>>>the divorce rates of women who cohabit are nearly 80% higher than those who do not>>>
As opposed to the divorce rates of men who cohabit? Huh?
I was happily married for 7 years--7 out of 22 is not too bad.
My neighbors have lived together for 14 years without being married. ask them and they will say marriage isn't necessary because ti just ends in divorce.
Ask her, alone, and she will say that she feels cheated out of the pleasure of the wedding and being married and that he is just being stingy and cheap and taking her for granted.