Today, approximately 70% of couples live together before getting married, a significant increase from just 11% in the late 1960s. Individuals cite testing compatibility, easing the marital transition, sharing expenses, deepening intimacy, or convenience as reasons for moving in together. The appealing logic of cohabitation is, however, shallow. Couples who live together before they are married increase their risk of divorce.

Three distinct yet interconnected trends are shaping this transformation: the rise of “placeholder relationships” where partners serve as temporary emotional bridges rather than long-term commitments, evolving attitudes toward age gaps in romantic partnerships, and the unprecedented expansion of teen mental health support services, particularly in major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles.

arriage rates continue to decline, with every succeeding generation seeing lower marriage rates than the previous one. In a new report by Delano Squires and myself, Crossroads: American Family Life at the Intersection of Tradition and Modernity, we note that marriage used to be a common part of young adulthood, but that is no longer the case. Given the trends, researchers project that roughly one-third of Gen Zers will have never married by age 45 and may never marry at all.