ENGLISH COMPOSITION II

PROPOSAL

Does living together before marriage help or hurt relationships ? This question has plagued couples for the last few decades , as both the numbers of those living together without being married and the rate of divorce has grown . I think living together before marriage can only help people avoid divorce , as they are given the chance to see what it is like to live with either the specific person , or a person for the first time . This also brings up the questions of why divorce rates are up and whether it has

anything to do with living together before marriage . I bring certain prejudices about it , believing that living together before marriage does not negatively impact couples ' ability to stay together after marriage , as I have seen it work many times . In the end , I will attempt to make the connection between the two , if there is one , or explain why people think there may be

SOURCES

Hurley , D (2005 , April 19 . Divorce Rate : It 's Not as High as You Think . The New York Times

Divorce Statistics Collection . Retrieved August 9 , 2008 , from http /www .divorcereform .org /nyt05 .html

Knadler , J (2005 , December . Is Five Years the New Forever Cosmopolitan . Vol . 239 , Iss . 6

pg . 149-152

Kramer , E (2004 , October . COHABITATION : JUST A PHASE ? Psychology Today . Vol . 37

Iss . 5 pg . 28-29

Whether because of the instinct to procreate , emotional desire , or compulsion to follow social norms , human pair-bonding leads often to marriage . Defined as a social institution , religious sacrament , and personal commitment , marriage continues to evolve , growing to include a more relaxed attitude to divorce and the practice of cohabitation before marriage . Both of these subjects have sparked heated debates , with the issue of cohabitation before marriage being the latest movement in the realm of matrimony . While many opponents of cohabitation before marriage cite a lack of core family and moral values that have sanctified union through marriage for millennia , recent studies have shown that cohabitation before marriage is not only increasing in popularity , but may be beneficial compared to marriage first , as evidenced by the increasing divorce rate among married couples , the decrease of overall marriages , and the ever-changing landscape of marriage throughout history

Marriage between a man and a woman has long been the backbone of social cooperation and society itself . Marriage offered greater economic stability , the opportunity to produce heirs , and was often utilized as a tool to strengthen alliances between groups . Marriage echoed the foundational desire for societal regulations and norms , and like society , marriage continuously evolved , redefining itself and its purpose . From the days ancient Mesopotamia to Greece and Rome , marriage was largely a civic obligation . However , the proliferation of polytheistic religions as ultimate moral authorities transformed marriage into an expression of faith . Until the emergence of modern nation-states , most marriages were conducted under one or another religious regime . Starting with the Protestant Reformation , most states took over their dominant religion 's marriage laws debate has ensued ever since whenever a nation deviates...