SOME LEGAL ASPECTS OF NON-MARITAL COHABITATION

Abstract

Non-marital cohabitation, on college campuses in particular, has been of professional interest recently, with ongoing research concentrated on the prevalence of cohabitation, the social factors leading to cohabitation, characteristics of the relationship, problems experienced, and the effect of cohabitation on the individuals involved, on their relationship to each other, and on society. At the Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on May 10-13, 1973, persons who were directly involved in research on cohabitation reviewed what was known about the subject up to that date and discussed what needed to be done in the future to understand the phenomenon more completely and to evaluate its influence on the institutions of marriage and family. The prime recommendation for policy and position statements made by the group at the close of the Groves Conference was that consideration be given to rethinking existing laws prohibiting cohabitation, since, in the opinion of the group, the decision to cohabit should be an individual one and persons should have freedom of choice in the matter. In addition, persons who cohabit may encounter problems in regard to housing, insurance, employment, property settlement, financial proceedings (wills, trusts, Social Security payments, loans), restrictions imposed by military regulations, and establishment of paternity of offspring. All of these areas will be discussed in an effort to ascertain the cohabitor's legal position.