People’s thoughts change very quickly. The things that were not permitted in the past become ordinary in the present. Nowadays, even thoughts about marriage have changed. That is the talk about cohabitation.

In the past, it was unthinkable that a man and a woman live together before marriage. However, now thinking about cohabitation is changing because the rate of divorce is rising and people think freedom is very important. Actually, research data show that the people who are positive about cohabitation are 67% in Daegu and North Gyeongsang (research by Daegu Catholic University and the North Gyeongsang Provincial Government on 1700 students in 2007). Like this, many people are positive about cohabitation, but cohabitation may have problems. If so, can we overlook these problems? Maybe not.

What do Keimyung University students think about cohabitation? The Gazette asked students’ opinions.


Pro

Many people disagree with living together before marriage, but I think that isn’t a completely negative thing. Living together is not a strange thing in other nations like the U.S.A. and many countries in Europe, and in Korea the thinking about living together is changing to positive through soap operas and movies. I don't mean that we should have an open mind about living together to follow other countries. Even if we don’t want that, its recognition is already changing in society.

There are some surveys that most men and women who live in our country agree with living together before marriage. In some research, men work much more in terms of housework when they live with their partners than when they are married. Most of all, through living together, couples can know each other and can share their money, so living together is more economical.

Because of their different personalities and economic problems, many married couples divorce, so I think living together can be a good solution to decrease the divorce rate. In addition, living together can be a good chance to think about marriage more freely and carefully.

However, our society, especially the older generation, is only worried about sexual relationships, and they think it is a wrong idea of the young generation. It is not right just thinking about sexual relationships. Living together is a good way to know each other's personality or life style, and it can make it possible to develop love.

Also the older generation thinks it is illogical to break the traditional family form, and they want to keep up the patriarchal system. Living together is one of the changes in our society, and if we do not want to continue the patriarchal system, it can be a chance to get free from the bondage of marriage.




Con

A few years ago, I saw a TV series named Attic Cat. The drama’s subject was cohabitation. At that time, cohabitation was thought undesirable, but this drama didn’t show cohabitation badly. Like this, people’s thought is changing about cohabitation. Now, people who live together with the other sex before marriage are increasing, and anyone can see cohabitants easily in his or her neighborhood. However, is this justifiable? I think this is not.

First, cohabitants are not protected by law. Cohabitation doesn’t require marriage registration. When they break up, there are no records left, and they don’t need to do some legal process. However, if they have a few problems like money problems, baby problems, or other problems, surely one of them is damaged. If problems like this happen, it is difficult to help the victim.

Second, cohabitation makes marriage’s sanctity weak. Marriage is very important. It is the start of family, and family is the foundation of society. Also, marriage is a chance for a person to grow and learn responsibility and devotion by living with a partner and raising children. However, if anyone lives with one person and separates easily and lives with another person again only to solve sexual desire, marriage can’t have some meaning.

Finally, cohabitation doesn’t help drop the rate of divorce. Supporters of cohabitation insist that cohabitation drops the rate of divorce, but in America and Europe, where many cohabitants live, the rate of divorce did not drop. On the contrary, France, England, and America are ranked high on the rate of divorce.

I think cohabitation is the product of egoism. Cohabitation is a sweet drug, so it is very sweet at that time. However, as time goes by, that may become poison. That is why I oppose cohabitation.