Divorce rate falls as cohabitation climbs and climbs
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press Writer
July 18, 2005, 5:48 PM EDT

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- The divorce rate in the United States is falling and a new study from the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University has an explanation: More people are shacking up instead of getting hitched.

In their report released Tuesday, the co-directors of the Rutgers-based National Marriage Project say they're glad the divorce rate is on the decline. But report authors David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead are concerned that more people are living together without marrying, and especially worried about children of those relationships

"The breakup rate of cohabiting couples is considerably higher" than that of married couples, Popenoe said. "As more and more cohabiting couples have children, that becomes more of a problem." The study analyzed data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau and other researchers

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