One of the biggest commitments that you can make during your lifetime is marriage. Even though it is supposed to be a union that lasts until death, this is not always the case and it is clearly shown by the high divorce rate that exists. People that are looking to make sure that they are fully prepared for marriage are choosing to cohabitate. This involves living with your partner before marriage. Before you make this decision, it is a good idea for you to be aware of both the pros and cons of cohabitation before marriage. Here are the pros and cons of cohabitation before marriage:
List of Pros of Cohabitation Before Marriage
1. Know Each Other Better
One of the biggest advantages to living together before marriage is the ability to really know one another before you make this type of long term commitment. There is no better way to truly know someone else than to live with them. You can spend as much time as you can with someone, but there are things that you will learn about a person that you will only be able to know if you live with them. You do not want any surprises after you choose to marry a person, which means that you should live together beforehand to ensure that you truly know everything about them.
2. Next Step
This is also seen as a pro for many people because it is the next logical step in a relationship. If you are not necessarily ready to get married, but you are ready to take your relationship to the next level, living together can be a great idea. It allows you to have a very committed relationship that is serious, but you are not legally tied to that person. If you are looking for a way to make your relationship more serious without marriage, cohabitation can work out well.
List of Cons of Cohabitation Before Marriage
1. Expectations Raised
One of the biggest downsides to choosing to live together before marriage is that this in itself can make the expectations for the relationship higher. This means that one person in the relationship will more than likely expect marriage at some point. If this is something that you are not ready for, choosing to live together before marriage can give false hope or raise the expectations of the relationship needlessly. This means that sometimes it is best to not live together until after you are married.
