Increase in Shacking Up

A report says more couples are shacking up, and the spin is that it is because of the recession. Hope Yen reports for the Associated Press.

The number of unmarried couples living together is rising sharply as many young adults who are having a hard time finding jobs are now "doubling up" with significant others.

That is a really bad solution. If you are financially struggling, you need to concentrate on improving your finances, not becoming dependent on someone you’re not ready to marry. And if you are the one who is doing okay, you should be dating other people, too, not restricting yourself to someone who wants you to pay their bills.

The number of opposite-sex unmarried couples who shared living arrangements jumped 13 percent this year to 7.5 million, the Census Bureau reported Thursday. That's compared to a 2 percent decrease between 2008 and 2009.

Get a roommate, or move back in with your parents, or relocate to a different area.

Demographers say a sluggish job market is the likely factor.

How about a lack of propriety or sense of shame?

If you want to get married and stay married, shacking up bodes ill for that. If you mostly want sex and/or companionship, you’re still better off not shacking up as you can easily have those things without shacking up.