Cohabiting Couples Twice as Likely to Part as Married Partners in United Kingdom

"The survey of hundreds of thousands of families found that four out of five married couples were still together after ten years. "

This conflicts with other statistics I've heard that 1/2 of marriages end in divorce. Which is it?

But to comment on my personal views, I think it has a lot to do with the intent and committment of the individuals involved. I have lived with many people (male and female) that I was not in the kind of relationship with that involved a commitment to stay together past our shared obligation of the rent (even if those relationships also involved sex). Some cohabiting relationships are nothing more than roomates with benefits. To compare that relationship to marriage is silly. It is simply not the same thing as a committed couple who have for whatever reason chosen not to officially document their relationship with the government. Many people take their commitment to each other very seriously without legally documenting it. For those people their relationship may be as strong or stronger than many married couples.

If they plan to have children together and both parties are involved in the decision, they are likely to feel obligated to help each other parent those children even if they split up (married or not) or even to stay together because of the kids. I don't know if men in particular feel the same obligation to a child that came along on accident or surprise in a relationship that they didn't have the intent of continuing. I'm curious about that myself. I would like to hear what others think about that.

At my age (40), there is no way I would marry someone without living with them first. I like to know what I am getting myself into.

That's just me.