Essay 8 The Cohabitation Epidemic Neil Clark Warren A few summers ago, tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf announced that their first child would be born. "This is a very exciting time for us," Agassi said. "We are so happy to be blessed with this gift." No one seemed to notice-or care that the couple wasn't married. Only a generation ago, this revelation would have raised eyebrows. Yes, things have changed dramatically over the past few decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 million people were in "unmarried-partner house- holds" in 1970. The number rose to 3.2 million in 1990. And in 2000, the figure soared to 11 million. Now, half of all Americans ages 35 to 39 have lived with someone outside of marriage, according to researcher Larry Bumpass. Make no mistake: We are witnessing a major societal shift before our very eyes. When an epidemic reaches this level of societal acceptance, many well- meaning people begin to ask, "Should we accept cohabitation as another social trend akin to fast food, cell phones and casual Fridays?" You may be wondering whether all this hubbub about living together is much ado about nothing. As a psychologist who has worked with singles and married couples for 35 years, I think our alarm over this issue is much ado about a lot.

As time passes, society faces changes in various aspects like, structure, dynamics etc. In terms of family and marriage structures they both have evolved significantly over time. In the past, traditional nuclear families were predominant, consisting of a married couple and their children. However societal shifts have led to greater diversity. Today, we see an increase in single parent families, cohabiting couples, and same gender unions. Apart from this, non-traditional arrangements like, polyamory and open relationships are also accepted in society. 

These changes exhibit a broader recognition of diverse lifestyles and the evolving nature of human relationships.