Is "Playing House" a Losing Game?

(CBS)  A quarter of unmarried Americans say that they are in committed romantic relationships. But could "playing house" be a losing game for these 6.7 million monogamous adults?

Read an excerpt of "A Little Bit Married"

Journalist Hannah Seligson, the author of the new book "A Little Bit Married: How to Know When It's Time to Walk Down the Aisle or Out the Door," addressed this question on "The Early Show."

By Seligson's definition, couples who are "a little bit married," are in a monogamous, non-matrimonial relationship for 12 or more months. She said they're mostly college-educated, upwardly-mobile 20- and 30-somethings.

She cited a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention study (PDF) that found couples who live together before they get married are less likely to stay married, but their chances improve if they were already engaged when they began living together.
Seligson also cited these statistics:
• The median age for a first marriage in the United States soars to the highest it's ever been: 27.1 for a man and 25.3 for a woman---and it tips even higher in many cities.
• A whopping 94 percent of singles between the ages of 20 to 29 say a spouse should be your soul mate.
• A poll of 18-24 year olds reveals that 55 percent of women but just 42 percent of men in committed relationships say that they want to get married in the next 5 years.

On "The Early Show," Seligson also dished up some advice for Chris Emond, and his girlfriend, Veronique Colaprete, who are about to move in together, and for Christel Winkler, who lives with her boyfriend's parents. Click on the video below to hear what she recommended for these couples.


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[sharongilo]

Living together has certainly become part of our culture and we should do everything we can to help couples make the most of an opportunity that helps them to learn about their relationship and themselves. Research, counseling, etc.

www.ashortguidetoahappymarriage.com