First Comes Love, Then Comes Baby in the Baby Carriage… Then Maybe Marriage?

On behalf of The Marks Law Firm, L.L.C. posted in Divorce on Tuesday, December 7, 2010

A recent study published by the National Marriage Project found that more and more people with a high school diploma as their highest level of education were choosing to change the common order for a life plan. Many are having children before getting married or even contemplating marriage.

Several of the people polled in the study claim that in their minds, marriage is just a legal piece of paper that “costs a lot of money to change.” Financial stability is a big factor for many people who choose to get married and when the couple loses that stability, a major factor in divorce.

Couples with a high school degree are more likely to divorce than those with a college degree, but another important factor the author of the study says should not be ignored is that unmarried parents are more than twice as likely to separate by the time their child reaches the age of 5.

While many couples fear divorce because of the costs associated with it, they should also be aware of the risk and costs of separating without marital rights to everything that they have combined during the time of their relationship. Couples who live together must think about who owns the home, the car and who pays for what while living together. A spouse has legal rights to property acquired during a marriage, but depending on your state law, an argument for rights to certain property can be much harder to make for an unwed partner and may not be recognized. Couples who choose to cohabitate in lieu of getting married do have the option of entering into an agreement, much like a prenuptial agreement, that gives rights to each cohabitant.

Source: NPR “Unmarried With Kids: A Shift In The Working Class” Jennifer Ludden 12/6/10

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