"The research provides many negative consequences of parental cohabitation for children. The opposite occurs for children whose parents are married… The conclusion from these various reviews is that children benefit unequivocally from their parents’ marriage."

~Dr. Anne-Marie Ambert, Marriage & Cohabitation, the Vanier Institute of the Family.~

Related Links

Marguerite Bourgeoys Family Centre
Naprotechnology & Fertility Care Programme, Canada
www.fertilitycare.ca

The CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare™ System
www.creightonmodel.com

NaProTECHNOLOGY
A Major Breakthrough In Woman's Gynecological Health Care
www.naprotechnology.com

The Billings Ovulation Method
www.billings-centre.ab.ca

Serena BC
www.vcn.bc.ca/sereabc/index.html

The Medical Institute for Sexual Health
www.medinstitute.org

Institute of Marriage & the Family
www.imfcanada.org

The Vanier Institute of the Family
www.vifamily.ca

Cohabitation & Children

1. In 2001, 8.2% of Canadian children aged 0 to 14 lived in common-law households—excluding Quebec where 29% lived in such households. When Quebec is included, the Canadian rate jumps to 13% of all children aged 0 to 14. (1)
2. LeBourdais et al. (2)estimated that Quebec children whose parents are still cohabiting are three times more likely to experience a parental separation than those whose parents are married (compared to over four times for the remainder of Canadian children).(3)
3. Children who begin life within a married two-parent family experience fewer parental marital transitions: two in three will remain with their parents. In contrast, children who begin life in a cohabitational family are more likely to experience their parents’ separation and may also experience more re-partnering than do children of divorce. (4)
4. "The research provides many negative consequences of parental cohabitation for children. The opposite occurs for children whose parents are married. As well, elsewhere, I have reviewed the impact on children of divorce and of living in one-parent families"(5) The conclusion from these various reviews is that children benefit unequivocally from their parents’ marriage.(6)
5. Compared to children of married biological parents, children age 12-17 with cohabiting parents are six times more likely to exhibit emotional and behavioral problems.(7)

Excerpt of young woman in a cohabitating relationship.

Dr. Ambert collected over 1,500 autobiographies from students dating back to 1974.(8) She writes "this student’s quote speaks more of disadvantages. It is indeed remarkable that, in the many autobiographies of cohabiting women students, I have been unable to find material that was unequivocally favourable to this lifestyle."(9)

"Right now I’d rate myself as being fairly unhappy and it’s because I have found out that my boyfriend I live with lives with me just so that he can have sex that he knows is safe. He does love me some you know but his kind of love is mainly sexual. That means that I have wasted the past 18 months of my life that I could have better spent looking for a better guy and also one that would have accepted me as a whole person and not just as a sex machine..."