Cohabiting couples are more stable and faithful than ever. According to a new study, extra-partnership sex is way down among all types of couples married or cohabiting. Meanwhile, the discussion about monogamy within couples is way up. The overall result is clear… rates of monogamy have skyrocketed even among those who are not married.

The belief that infidelity among cohabiters is common is proving to be just another myth. In reality, the study found that the percentage of couples who are decidedly closed to sex outside the relationship, in other words they discussed extra-partnership sex and decided that “under no circumstances is it alright,” just about doubled in all types of relationships (from around 43% in 1975 to above 80% currently).

While the “jury is still out” on the future of cohabitation, this study seems to underscore the fact that cohabitation has evolved from anti-social behavior to a new American institution. Many couples see little difference between the commitment to live together & the commitment to marriage.

So what’s the bottom line? There is certainly a large movement toward monogamy that is due to everything from the recession, to the growing longevity of cohabiting couples and from awareness about STDs to the desire for a more stable home-life. More couples than ever are discussing their options now, than they were in the past and figuring out what works for them regardless of marital status.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 11:04 am and is filed under Cohabitation: The New Institution!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.