No family change has come to the fore in modern times more dramatically, and with such rapidity, as heterosexual cohabitation outside of marriage. Within three decades in most advanced nations the practice of non-marital cohabitation has shifted from being a widely eschewed and even illegal practice to one which, increasingly, is viewed as a normal part of the life course and a necessary prelude to, or even substitute for, marriage. In America before 1970, for example, cohabitation was uncommon, a deviant and unlawful practice found only among people at the margins of our society. Since 1970 the number of Americans living together outside of marriage has increased more than 1,000 percent, with such couples now making up about ten percent of all couples.
-David Popenoe, COHABITATION, MARRIAGE AND CHILD WELLBEING: A Cross-National Perspective
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