living together before marriage: opinions?

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I'm just trying to make sure I'm reading your post right - we're pretty much saying the same thing here, right?

We're definitely on the same path, yep.

Originally Posted by MysticCat

the one other hypothesis I have heard is that couples who live together before marriage may carry over from the cohabitation into the marriage a feeling of "well, one of us can just move out if it gets to that." Granted, that may be very close if not connected to the personal issues you mention.

That's definitely a possibility, and it does pass the 'smell test' on some level. I'm not sure that this attitude should "outweigh," say, religious indoctrination or family pressures, though - that's why I worded mine in the way I did. While those feelings might be present, it is really hard for me to take it any further.

Besides this, there's a pretty good chance that the current divorce rate is closer to the "true" rate - that is, people aren't as likely to stay in shitty marriages, and we're actually better off for it - which makes this whole thing kind of a non-issue, as those who meet the 'profile' for staying together/living apart can do what they wish, while everyone else does what they think is right, too . . . that's actually much more interesting to me, anyway.