Those who cohabited 15 years ago tended to be more liberal, not particularly religious, not given to commitment, more independent - a population more prone to divorce whether they lived together or not, Schoen says. As a group, cohabitors are now probably a lot less distinct population. People who cohabit are less likely to marry their partners than in the past. Bumpass says the stigma associated with cohabiting continues to decrease, encouraging those not particularly interested in marriage to live together. Cohabiting may be a better deal for men than women.
Women can end up with the responsibilities of marriage but without the legal protections.
Other researchers are coming up with sophisticated profiles of who lives together. They are certain about a partner but uncertain about marriage itself. They tend to continue living together. Precursor to marriage. They are certain about both their partner and marriage and are most apt to wed.