Title

The Nature and Experiences of Cohabitation in Non-Marital Couples

Authors

Bryan RendonFollow

Document Type

Research Paper

Date of Completion

Summer 7-25-2022

Department

Family & Consumer Sciences

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Justin Moore

Abstract

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of cohabitation by gathering the unique experiences of couples who are currently in a non-marital cohabitative relationship. The driving research question are as follows: What are the unique experiences of cohabtitative couples and what common themes do their stories share? A phenomenological qualitative methodology was used to collect, transcribe and code the narrative data from three interviews with couples currently living in a shared space and self-identifying as non-marital cohabiting couples. The results and discussion section include three significant themes identified in all three couples that include: 1) Difficulty in Transition From Independence To Interdependence 2) Financial Unity and Advantages of Cohabitation 3) Future Plans For Marriage. Moreover, recruiting more participants and minimizing criteria to specific races/ethnicities was suggested for future research.

Keywords: Cohabitation, Couple, Marriage

Copyright held by

Bryan Rendon

Video Presentation

Recommended Citation

Rendon, B. (2022). The Nature and Experiences of Cohabitation in Non-Marital Couples. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/mcnair-research/22