What’s the difference between being married and single? are there any significant benefits being married versus being a couple? what about living together without marriage? These are the type of questions that The Journal of Marriage and Family put together for a recent study and the results were interesting.

“Marriage has long been an important social institution, but in recent decades western societies have experienced increases in cohabitation, before or instead of marriage, and increases in children born outside of marriage. These changes have blurred the boundaries of marriage, leading to questions about what difference marriage makes in comparison to alternatives.” says Cornell University’s Dr. Kelly Musick who conducted the experiment.

Both married and cohabitating couples overall had less contact with family and friends compared to those who are single, and it stayed pretty much the same over time. The differences between married and cohabiting couples are quite minimal and things are pretty much the same between both after the honeymoon period.

Cohabitation is ideal for those people that want more flexibility, personal growth, and autonomy as well as having fewer unwanted obligations that marriage tends to come with.

Source