The impact of cohabitation on women and children

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Sociology - Gender Studies grade: 84% University of Auckland (Department of Sociology) course: Family Women and the State language: English abstract: Rates of cohabitation are rising throughout the Western world as a precursor a substitute or a successor of marriage. However compared to legal marriage women and children seem to be worse off in those living arrangements for several reasons. Therefore this paper sought to explore the impacts of cohabitation on women and children and how different jurisdictions responded to the rising rates of cohabitation.