Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Living Together Unmarried: What Do We Know About Cohabiting Families?

  • Chapter
Handbook of Marriage and the Family

Abstract

Heterosexual cohabitation has become a normative feature of the life course. The prevalence and incidence of cohabitation have risen considerably in the past 3 decades. In fact, it is now so commonplace that researchers have moved beyond debates about its transience as a trend. Most marriages and remarriages begin as cohabiting relationships, and the majority of young adults has cohabited or will cohabit at some point in their lives (Smock, 2000). Moreover, most young adults in the United States now view nonmarital cohabitation as an acceptable relationship form (Axinn & Thornton, 2000; Scott, Shelar, Manlove, & Cui, 2009; Thornton & Young-DeMarco, 2001). The incidence of cohabiting partners with children is increasingly widespread, too: two-fifths of cohabiting couples are currently raising children and nearly half of these couples have a joint biological child (Kennedy & Fitch, 2009, p. 15).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    One measure of this is the number of scholarly articles on cohabitation appearing in peer-reviewed social science journals. Using the online search engine Proquest, we searched for articles containing the words “cohabitation,” “cohabit,” or “cohabitor” in their titles or abstracts. In all of the years prior to 1994, 114 articles on cohabitation were published; between January 1994 and August 2009, nearly 1,000 such articles were published.

  2. 2.

     We note figures from the 2000 Census that showed Asian-Americans earning 14% more than Whites, on average, and a 9% advantage when educational levels are factored. There is great variation among the group of Asian-American labor force participants, depending on level of acculturation and education (Xie & Goyette, 2004).

References

  • Axinn, W. G., & Thornton, A. (1992). The relationship between cohabitation and divorce: Selectivity or causal inference? Demography, 29, 357–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Axinn, W. G., & Thornton, A. (2000). The transformation in the meaning of marriage. In L. J. Waite (Ed.), The ties that bind: Perspectives on marriage and cohabitation (pp. 147–165). New York: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boss, P. (2007). Ambiguous loss theory: Challenges for scholars and practitioners. Family Relations, 56, 105–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. J. D. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L. (2000). Union transitions among cohabitors: The significance of relationship assessments and expectations. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 833–846.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L. (2004). Moving from cohabitation to marriage: Effects on relationship quality. Social Science Research, 33, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., & Booth, A. (1996). Cohabitation versus marriage: A comparison of relationship quality. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, 668–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., Bulanda, J. R., & Lee, G. R. (2005). The significance of nonmarital cohabitation: Marital status and mental health benefits among middle-aged and older adults. The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 60B(1), S21–S29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., Lee, G. R., & Bulanda, J. R. (2006). Cohabitation among older adults: A national portrait. The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 61B(2), S71–S79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., & Manning, W. D. (2009). Family boundary ambiguity and the measurement of family structure: The significance of cohabitation. Demography, 46, 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., Sanchez, L. A., Nock, S. L., & Wright, J. D. (2006). Links between premarital cohabitation and subsequent marital quality, stability, and divorce: A comparison of covenant versus standard marriages. Social Science Research, 35, 454–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bumpass, L. L., & Lu, H. (2000). Trends in cohabitation and implications for children’s family contexts in the United States. Population Studies, 54, 29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bumpass, L. L., & Sweet, J. (1989). National estimates of cohabitation. Demography, 26, 615–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casper, L. M., & Cohen, P. N. (2000). How does POSSLQ measure up? Historical estimates of cohabitation. Demography, 37, 237–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casper, L. M., & Sayer, L. C. (2000). Cohabitation transitions: Different attitudes and purposes, different paths. Paper presented at the meeting of the Population Association of America, Los Angeles.

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2002). See National Center for Health Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A. J. (1999). Going to extremes: Family structure, children’s well-being, and social science. Demography, 36, 421–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A. J. (2004). The deinstitutionalization of American marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 848–861.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chevan, A. (1996). As cheaply as one: Cohabitation in the older population. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, 656–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, M. (2005). Gender in cohabitation and marriage. Journal of Family Issues, 26, 1037–1061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Jong Gierveld, J. (2004). Remarriage, unmarried cohabitation, living apart together: Partner relationships following bereavement or divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 236–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Ruijter, E., Treas, J., & Cohen, P. N. (2005). Outsourcing the gender factory: Living arrangements and service expenditures on female and male tasks. Social Forces, 84, 305–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dush, C. M. K., Cohan, C. L., & Amato, P. R. (2003). The relationship between cohabitation and marital quality and stability: Change across cohorts? Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 539–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edin, K. (2000). What do low-income single mothers say about marriage? Social Problems, 47, 112–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edin, K., & Kefalas, M. J. (2005). Promises I can keep: Why poor women put motherhood before marriage. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edin, K., Kefalas, M. J., & Reed, J. M. (2004). A peek inside the black box: What marriage means for poor unmarried parents. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 1007–1014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellwood, D., & Jencks, C. (2004). The spread of single-parent families in the United States since 1960. In D. P. Moynihan, L. Rainwater, & T. Smeeding (Eds.), The future of the family (pp. 25–65). New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fomby, P., & Cherlin, A. J. (2007). Family instability and child well-being. American Sociological Review, 72, 181–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, M. (2008). Nonmarital cohabitation: Social revolution and legal regulation. Family Law Quarterly, 42, 309–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson-Davis, C. M. (2007). Expectations and the economic bar to marriage among low income couples. In P. England & K. Edin (Eds.), Unmarried couples with children (pp. 84–103). New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glick, P. C., & Spanier, G. B. (1980). Married and unmarried cohabitation in the United States. Journal of Marriage and Family, 42, 19–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, J. R., & Kenney, K. T. (2001). Marriage delayed or marriage forgone? New cohort forecasts of first marriage for U.S. women. American Sociological Review, 66, 506–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graefe, D. R., & Lichter, D. T. (1999). Life course transitions of American children: Parental cohabitation, marriage and single motherhood. Demography, 36, 205–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graefe, D. R., & Lichter, D. T. (2002). Marriage among unwed mothers: Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics compared. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 34, 286–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, S. (1999). The effects of transitions in marital status on men’s performance of housework. Journal of Marriage and Family, 61, 700–711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guzzo, K. B. (2009). Marital intentions and the stability of first cohabitations. Journal of Family Issues, 30, 179–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatch, R. G. (1995). Aging and cohabitation. New York: Garland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayford, S. R., & Morgan, S. P. (2008). The quality of retrospective data on cohabitation. Demography, 45, 129–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hohmann-Marriott, B. E. (2006). Shared beliefs and the union stability of married and cohabiting couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 1015–1028.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hull, K. E. (2006). Same-sex marriage: The cultural politics of love and law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jepsen, L. K., & Jepsen, C. A. (2002). An empirical analysis of the matching patterns of same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Demography, 39, 435–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalil, A. (2002). Cohabitation and child development. In A. Booth & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Just living together: Implications of cohabitation on families, children, and social policy (pp. 153–160). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, S., & Bumpass, L. (2008). Cohabitation and children’s living arrangements: New estimates from the United States. Demographic Research, 19, 1663–1692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, S., & Fitch, C. (2009). A portrait of U.S. cohabiting families: New data from the Current Population Survey. Paper presented at the meeting of the Population Association of America, Detroit, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenney, C. T. (2004). Cohabiting couple, filing jointly? Resource pooling and U.S. poverty policies. Family Relations, 53, 237–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenney, C. T. (2006). The power of the purse: Allocative systems and inequality in couple households. Gender and Society, 20, 354–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, V., & Scott, M. E. (2005). A comparison of cohabiting relationships among older and younger adults. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(2), 271–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, G. H., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., Olmos-Gallo, P. A., St. Peters, M., Whitton, S. W., et al. (2004). Timing is everything: Pre-engagement cohabitation and increased risk for poor marital outcomes. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 311–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knab, J. T., & McLanahan, S. (2006). Measuring cohabitation: Does how, when and who you ask matter? In S. L. Hofferth & L. M. Casper (Eds.), Handbook of measurement issues in family research (pp. 19–33). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreider, R. M. (2008). Improvements to demographic household data in the Current Population Survey: 2007. Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division Working Paper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A. (2004). Are gay and lesbian cohabiting couples really different from heterosexual married couples? Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 880–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., Batson, C. D., & Brown, J. B. (2004). Welfare reform and marriage promotion: The marital expectations and desires of single and cohabiting mothers. The Social Service Review, 78, 2–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., & Qian, Z. (2008). Serial cohabitation and the marital life course. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 861–878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichter, D. T., Qian, Z., & Mellott, L. M. (2006). Marriage or dissolution? Union transitions among poor cohabiting women. Demography, 54, 223–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lillard, L., Brien, M., & Waite, L. (1995). Premarital cohabitation and subsequent marital dissolution: A matter of self-selection? Demography, 32, 437–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maher, J., & Singleton, A. (2003). “I Wonder What He’s Saying”: Investigating domestic discourse in young cohabitating heterosexual couples. Gender Issues, 21, 59–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D. (2002). The implications of cohabitation for children’s well-being. In A. Booth & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Just living together: Implications of cohabitation on families, children, and social policy (pp. 121–152). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D., Longmore, M. A., & Giordano, P. C. (2007). The changing institution of marriage: Adolescents’ expectations to cohabit and marry. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 559–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2005). Measuring and modeling cohabitation: New perspectives from qualitative data. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 989–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manning, W. D., Smock, P. J., & Majumdar, D. (2004). The relative stability of cohabiting and marital unions for children. Population Research and Policy Review, 23, 135–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meadows, S. O. (2009). Family structure and fathers’ well-being: Trajectories of mental health and self-rated health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50, 115–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mincieli, L., Manlove, J., McGarrett, M., Moore, K., & Ryan, S. (2007). The relationship context of births outside of marriage: The rise of cohabitation (Child Trends Research Brief No. 2007-13). Washington, DC: Child Trends.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, S. P., Bachrach, C., Johnson-Hanks, J., & Kohler, H.-P. (2008). A theory of conjunctural action. In Designing new models for explaining family change and variation (pp. 33–58). Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musick, K. (2007). Cohabitation, nonmarital childbearing, and the marriage process. Demographic Research, 16, 249–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2002). Cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the United States. Vital and Health Services, 23(22) [cited as CDC 2002].

    Google Scholar 

  • Nock, S. L. (1995). A comparison of marriages and cohabiting relationships. Journal of Family Issues, 16, 53–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, C., Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2007). Married and cohabiting parents’ relationship stability: A focus on race and ethnicity. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1345–1366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, C. J. (2000). Family relationships of lesbians and gay men. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1052–1069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, J. A., & Sweeney, M. M. (2005). Premarital cohabitation and marital disruption among White, Black, and Mexican American women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 296–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, B., & Dalaker, J. (2002). Poverty in the United States: 2001. Current population reports, P60-219. Washington, DC: US Census Bureau.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raley, K., & Bumpass, L. (2003). The topography of the divorce plateau: Levels and trends in union stability in the United States after 1980. Demographic Research, 8, 245–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raley, K., Crissey, S., & Muller, C. (2007). Of sex and romance: Late adolescent relationships and young adult union formation. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1210–1226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raley, R. K., & Wildsmith, E. (2004). Cohabitation and children’s family instability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 210–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Pre-engagement cohabitation and gender asymmetry in marital commitment. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 553–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). Couples’ reasons for cohabitation: Associations with individual well-being and relationship quality. Journal of Family Issues, 30, 233–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sassler, S. (2004). The process of entering into cohabiting unions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 491–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sassler, S., Cunningham, A., & Lichter, D. (2009). Intergenerational patterns of union formation and relationship quality. Journal of Family Issues, 30, 757–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sassler, S., & Miller, A. (2006). Waiting to be asked: Gender, power, and relationship progression among cohabiting couples. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R., Landale, N. S., & Daniels, K. (2007). Family transitions in young adulthood. Demography, 44, 807–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R., Landale, N. S., Daniels, K., & Cheng, Y.-H. A. (2009). Social background differences in early family behavior. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 384–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, M. E., Shelar, E., Manlove, J., & Cui, C. (2009). Young adult attitudes about relationships and marriage: Times have changed but expectations remain high (No. 2009-30). Washington, DC: Child Trends Research Brief.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seltzer, J. A. (2000). Families formed outside of marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1247–1268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H. (1992). A theory of structure: Duality, agency and transformation. The American Journal of Sociology, 98, 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H. (1996). Historical events as transformations of structures: Inventing revolution at the Bastille. Theory and Society, 25, 841–881.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, W. H. (1999). Concept(s) of culture. In V. Bonnell & L. Hunt (Eds.), Beyond the cultural turn: New directions in the study of society and culture (pp. 35–61). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J. (2000). Cohabitation in the United States: An appraisal of research themes, findings, and implications. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., Casper, L. M., & Wyse, J. (2008). Nonmarital cohabitation: Current knowledge and future directions for research (Report No. 08-648). Philadelphia: Population Studies Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., Huang, P., Manning, W. D., & Bergstrom, C. A. (2006). Heterosexual cohabitation in the United States: Motives for living together among young men and women (Report No. 06-606). Philadelphia: Population Studies Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., & Manning, W. D. (2004). Living together unmarried in the United States: Demographic perspectives and implications for family policy. Law & Policy, 26, 87–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., & Manning, W. D. (2010). New couples, new families: The cohabitation revolution in the United States. In B. Risman (Ed.), Families as they really are (pp. 131–139). New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., Manning, W. D., & Porter, M. (2005). “Everything’s there except money”: How money shapes decisions to marry among cohabitors. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 680–696.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smock, P. J., & Greenland, F. R. (2010). Diversity in pathways to parenthood: Patterns, implications, and emerging research directions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 576–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sliding versus deciding: inertia and the premarital cohabitation effect. Family Relations, 55, 499–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, S. M., Whitton, S. W., & Markman, H. J. (2004). Maybe I do: Interpersonal commitment and premarital or nonmarital cohabitation. Journal of Family Issues, 25, 496–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. D. (2005). Boundary ambiguity in stepfamilies. Journal of Family Issues, 26, 1002–1029.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tach, L., & Halpern-Meekin, S. (2009). How does premarital cohabitation affect trajectories of marital quality? Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 298–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teachman, J. D. (2003). Premarital sex, premarital cohabitation, and the risk of subsequent marital dissolution among women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 444–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teachman, J. D., & Polonko, K. A. (1990). Cohabitation and marital stability in the United States. Social Forces, 69, 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, E., & Colella, U. (1992). Cohabitation and marital stability: Quality or commitment? Journal of Marriage and Family, 54, 259–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A. (2005). Reading history sideways: The fallacy and enduring impact of the developmental paradigm on family life. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A., Axinn, W. G., & Teachman, J. D. (1995). The influence of school enrollment and accumulation on cohabitation and marriage in early adulthood. American Sociological Review, 60, 762–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A., & Young-DeMarco, L. (2001). Four decades of trends in attitudes toward family issues in the United States: The 1960s through the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 1009–1037.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timmer, S. G., & Orbuch, T. L. (2001). The links between premarital parenthood, meanings of marriage, and marital outcomes. Family Relations, 50, 178–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treas, J., & de Ruijter, E. (2008). Earnings and expenditures on household services in married and cohabiting unions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 796–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W. K., & Foster, C. A. (2003). Parenthood and marital satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 574–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2006) Fertility, family planning, and the health of U.S. women: Data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, series 23–25. Hyattesville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waller, M. R., & McLanahan, S. S. (2005). “His” and “Her” marriage expectations: Determinants and consequences. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 53–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, L. K. (1998). Who’s counting? Quasi-facts and stepfamilies in reports of number of siblings. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 725–733.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, L. L., & Musick, K. (2008). Stability of marital and cohabiting unions following a first birth. Population Research and Policy Review, 27, 713–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Y., & Goyette, K. (2004). A demographic portrait of Asian Americans. Population Reference Bureau/Russell Sage Census 2000 Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Y., Raymo, J., Goyette, K., & Thornton, A. (2003). Economic potential and entry into marriage and cohabitation. Demography, 40, 351–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, A. A., Jr. (1999). The (non) accumulation of capital: Explicating the relationship of structure and agency in the lives of poor black men. Sociological Theory, 17, 201–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, 3001 LSA Building, 500 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Fiona Rose-Greenland PhD

  2. Department of Sociology and Population Studies Center, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA

    Pamela J. Smock PhD

Authors
  1. Fiona Rose-Greenland PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pamela J. Smock PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fiona Rose-Greenland PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Miami University Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Gary W. Peterson

  2. Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Miami University Dept. Family Studies & Social Work, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Kevin R. Bush

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rose-Greenland, F., Smock, P.J. (2013). Living Together Unmarried: What Do We Know About Cohabiting Families?. In: Peterson, G., Bush, K. (eds) Handbook of Marriage and the Family. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3987-5_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation