Bowling Green State University has published the results of a recent study, which has found that cohabitation among adults over the age of 50 more than doubled from 1.2 million in 2000 to 2.75 million in 2010.
“Similar to their younger counterparts, older Americans are embracing cohabitation in record numbers,” noted Dr. Susan Brown, lead author of the study.
The research, by the University's National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR), also found that women are especially reluctant to marry in later life, citing caregiving strains that marriage may involve as well as perceived loss of freedom. Most older cohabiters are divorced, followed by widowed, and then never married, whereas older widowers were more likely to remarry.
Researchers assert that cohabitation among older adults is important because it plays a unique role in the lives of older Americans. Living together provides many of the benefits of marriage such as partnership, without the potential costs, like the mingling of financial assets.
“Older adults desire an intimate partnership, but without the legal constraints marriage entails,” commented Dr. Susan Brown, lead author of the study.
