TOPIC

This house would encourage cohabitation among young

adults

Affirmative Team
Evidence supporting benefits of cohabitation:
• Reduced living costs compared to living alone (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2007)
• Allows testing of compatibility prior to marriage (Manning & Cohen, 2012)
• Teaches life skills like communication, compromise (Murphy et al., 2017)
Approach:
• Argue financial and relational benefits to young adults
• Propose policies like tax breaks or subsidized housing for cohabiting couples
• Emphasize individual freedom of choice and changing social norms

Opposing Team
Evidence against cohabitation:
• Higher rate of breakups than marriage (Jose et al., 2010)
• Potentially less committed relationships (Stanley et al., 2010)
• Increased risk of domestic violence (Brownridge & Halli, 2002)
Approach:
• Argue risk of unstable family environments for potential children
• Emphasize research showing worse outcomes vs. marriage
• Warn of increased burden on social services from higher family dissolution
• Appeal to traditional family values and roles
Both teams would likely reference statistics on cohabitation trends and socioeconomic
factors. The affirmative side needs to respond to claims that cohabitation harms children
and society while the negative side needs to address arguments that young adults can
benefit from living together.
References
Brownridge, D.A., & Halli, S.S. (2002). Double jeopardy?: Violence against immigrant
women in Canada. Violence & Victims, 17(4), 455–571.
Jose, A., O’Leary, D. K., & Moyer, A. (2010). Does premarital cohabitation predict
subsequent marital stability and marital quality? A meta‐analysis. Journal of Marriage
and Family, 72(1), 105-116.
Manning, W. D., & Cohen, J. A. (2012). Premarital cohabitation and marital dissolution:
An examination of recent marriages. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(2), 377-387.
Murphy, M. J., Gray, L. N., & Sterling, S. P. (2017). Examining factors that contribute to
cohabiting and marital relationships. Journal of Family Issues, 38(12), 1723–1746.

Popenoe, D., & Whitehead, B. D. (2007). The social health of marriage in America. In
The state of our unions (pp. 6-20). National Marriage Project.
Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sliding vs. deciding: Inertia
and the premarital cohabitation effect. Family relations, 55(4), 499-509.