Score one for the stereotypes: men are actually less likely to be committed to their partners when they move in together.
In a study published in RAND, sociologists Michael Pollard and Kathleen M. Harris found that couples who cohabit show significantly lower levels of commitment than those who are married, and furthermore that cohabiting young men less likely to display commitment than young women.
Amongst cohabiting young men (age 18 though 26), a slim majority, 52%, say they are not “almost certain” that their relationship is permanent, compared to 39% of women (and a mere 19% of married men and women). Perhaps more interestingly, 41% of cohabiting men reported that they were not “completely committed” to their girlfriends; further, 26% of cohabiting women said the same thing.
This new research echoes findings elucidated last year in a New York Times op-ed that went viral, about why couples who cohabit before marriage suffer higher divorce rates than those who do not. Specifically, it’s easy to start living together, but once couples do, it’s hard to break up.
