Cohabitation Without Marriage Case Study

To gain deeper understanding on the concept of marriage and cohabitation without marital union among unmarried couples, case study was used for the research. Case study refers to an understanding, as a unit of the study in which the relevant outcome takes on a specific value, about something unique, special, or interesting stories can be about individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighborhoods, institutions, region, and even events at a given time (Hall, 2006). In this particular study, the researchers purposively chosen unmarried couples with a child or children as respondents because of the notion that there could be significantly underlying reasons as to why these individuals cohabit but not marrying despite the fact that they
It could be perceived that the current life that the respondents have is a reflection of their decisions in the past, as seen from their narratives. This chapter presents the common themes of the participants’ insights relating to the concept of cohabitation, marriage, and the effect of cohabitation without marriage.
Concepts of cohabitation among unmarried couples The society perceives cohabitation and marriage in various ways but the insights of experienced individuals are emphasized in this study. The respondents mentioned that cohabitation happens because of the practical and social meanings attached to the two phenomena. In particular, this serves as a testing ground for their current, and subsequent relationships, if any.
Testing-ground for relationship. The respondents consider cohabitation as a room for exploring their partner’s traits and ample time to check if the two suit in the relationship. In this case, it became a testing ground because couples may quit the relationship or marry one another if the outcome of the relationship is not desirable for both parties. This is supported by the statements of the