Emerging adulthood is considered the period of time that bridges the gap between adolescence and early adulthood. Emerging adulthood is generally considered to be from the ages of 18-25 although adulthood is not necessarily based on an age but more of where a person is in life. Previously you would have been considered an adult if you were married, had a full time job, and were living independently. Today it is based more on how a person is adjusting. An adult should have solidified their values and beliefs, accept self-responsibility, be financially independent, and has also created a relationship of equality with their parents. Early …show more content…
In 1960 less than a half a million people cohabitated. Today that number is closer to five million people along with another half a million same sex couples living together. During the 1990s fifty-six percent of the marriages that occurred were preceded by living together first. There is greater than a fifty percent chance that a woman will marry if she has lived with the man for more than five years. More than half of high school seniors’ believe that it is a good idea to live together before marriage. If you are divorced you are more likely to cohabitate. There are advantages to living together before you are married. Economically it may provide a better life for the two people to be able share household expenses. People who are on public assistance may lose that assistance if they are married. College students may choose to live with their significant other secretly as to not lose their parents assistance. It also provides people with a way to share a life without the legal entanglements of marriage. Some people believe that cohabitation will strengthen their relationships and eventually lead to marriage. Other studies show that living together first show a divorce rate twice as high after ten years of marriage. Cohabitation may not actually be the cause of divorce though. Typically people who with less traditional views of marriage cohabitate together. Because they already value the idea less that may be what leads to eventual