The National Marriage Project released a major report stating that cohabitation is the biggest threat to American children, eclipsing divorce and overshadowing single motherhood. While the study's authors, led by the University of Virginia's Brad Wilcox, admit that this is more of an issue for black and low-income families (which are more likely to have unmarried parents), the authors say that all kids "exposed to cohabitation"--as if it were a disease, or a fatal contaminant--have more emotional problems, less involved and less affectionate fathers, a greater risk of school failure, a higher risk of infant mortality, and worse physical health than kids with married parents. That's despite economics, class, or race.

"Cohabitation is not a functional equivalent of marriage," the study claims. And as Wilcox said at an event last night at the Institute for American Values, where he discussed the study, "cohabitation and kids don't mix." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/if-only/201108/is-cohabitation-bad-our-families

Blogger, Lauren Sandler, is not so sure about the conclusions of the study. Nonetheless, her resistance seems to be more about her personal feelings than the validity of the points the authors of the study make.

What you think?

The study: http://www.virginia.edu/marriageproj...tionReport.pdf

[zbmom]

Well everything I've read says that cohabitation before marriage leads to higher divorce rates. I also think it's difficult for kids to be in a family that is not stable. I guess it's just hard to tell though, there are a lot of unstable married families out there too.