Long-Term Heterosexual Cohabiters and Attitudes Toward Marriage

Abstract

Limited research has specifically examined long-term heterosexual cohabiters (LTHCs), whose lengthy unions challenge the notion that cohabitation is a life stage. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 48 LTHCs, this article identifies six themes that LTHCs use to talk about their attitudes toward marriage. Three of these themes highlight ways in which heterosexuals are trying to construct anti-oppressive heterosexual identities. These six themes are especially structured by social class, elucidating a broader class-based bifurcation of family life in the United States. These findings challenge existing paradigms about cohabitation and illuminate the diversity of reasons people choose to cohabitate. Implications for broader shifts in intimate life are discussed.

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