Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships

by Sharon Sassler, Amanda Miller

“We have fun and we enjoy each other’s company, so why shouldn’t we just move in together?”—Lauren, from Cohabitation Nation   Living together is a typical romantic rite of passage in the United States today. In fact, census data shows a 37 percent increase in couples who choose to commit to and live with one another, forgoing marriage. And yet we know very little about this new “normal” in romantic life. When do people decide to move in together, why do they do so, and what happens to them over time? Drawing on in-depth interviews, Sharon Sassler and Amanda Jayne Miller provide an inside view of how cohabiting relationships play out before and after couples move in together, using couples’ stories to explore the he said/she said of romantic dynamics. Delving into hot-button issues, such as housework, birth control, finances, and expectations for the future, Sassler and Miller deliver surprising insights about the impact of class and education on how relationships unfold. Showcasing the words, thoughts, and conflicts of the couples themselves, Cohabitation Nation offers a riveting and sometimes counterintuitive look at the way we live now.

Genres: Nonfiction

293 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2017

Reviews

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very eye opening look at how relationships have changed and living together is moving to a norm but with many unexpected results. For years in my studies or relationships the stats have shown that the likelihood of a break up of a relationship increases to about 85% when you move in together. This helped me understand why.

I bought this as an effort to update my stats on the impact of living together after reading and reviewing another book.

There are some limitations to this study since it comes from a limited geographical area but I think is probably pretty reflective of the United States. I also found it interesting that it only includes data on low and middle income couples and no mention of high income couples. Some of the information provided, especially for middle income couples, indicate negative impacts on long term earning potential.

It is worth the read if you are interested in the impact of the trend toward living together and the impact it has on future relationships.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry (even for a sociology book), and far less comprehensive than the title promises - it's based on a single study of couples in a single city - but still, adds important nuance to our understanding of cohabitation, particularly as it varies by class.