As the rate of divorce soars and as increasing numbers of marriages disintegrate, living together has become the popular alternative to many people in north America. Expersts estimate that 'roughly 2.2 million people are currently sharing bed and board in a live-in arrangement, this is approximately 1% of the total population.'('Family.' Comptoms Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.) Living together, more formally known as non marital cohabitation, is an emerging lifestyle. In fact, 'More than one fourth of …showed first 75 words of 962 total…

…showed last 75 words of 962 total…their courtship, yet the option to cohabit is becoming increasingly popular.'(Groode, Williams J. 'Marriage' Comptoms Interactive Encyclopedia. (1996 ed.) The freedom associated with living together is an important aspect, because after a period of time the couple may decide to marry, to end the relationship, or simple continue living together. As future trends continue, and more marriages fail, the number of couples who live together are going to increase due to the valuable benefits.