›› South Carolina Young Adults Count State Report

Family Appendix E: Cohabitation

More education is associated with increased marriage rates and decreased cohabitation— "a pattern suggesting that less educated individuals tend to substitute cohabitation for marriage..." (Thorton, Axinn, and Teachman). Thus, young people with less school may cohabit due to lack of necessary resources needed to make the commitment to marry.

Young adults enrolled in school are less likely to be married for several reasons. The substantial demands of school limit the amount of time available for other roles such as spouse or parent. Marriage is frequently associated with adult obligations and responsibilities incompatible with the role of the student. In addition, parents are often willing to support their single children in college, but expect financial independence when their children get married. Cohabiting young adults receive less financial help than those remaining single, but more help than married young adults. Therefore, cohabitation may offer an appealing alternative to marriage for young adults in college. For both men and women, college enrollment is more likely to stifle marriage than discourage cohabitation. For example, compared with young adult women not in college, those enrolled full-time have a cohabitation rate 24% lower but a marriage rate 70% lower.

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