The great divorce revolution of the 1960s and 1970s has faded. The great cohabitation revolution has begun. The divorce rate for married couples with children is almost back to the levels of the 1960s. (snip) It only means that marriage is unraveling in a different way. (snip) Cohabitation has increased 14-fold since 1970.Lowry documents the social pathologies associated with cohabitation: delinquency, drug and child abuse, early sex activity, school failure, and teenage pregnancy. He paints an unattractive picture.
Cohabitation is more common among the lower social classes, as are the pathologies listed. To what degree class vs. cohabitation are causative, individually or in combination, is unclear.
