... marry and have children. Most children are reared by their natural parents. Most people live in a household headed by a married couple. Most marriages continue until parted by death. No great change seems currently in prospect.' Basically Chester's argument is that people are still marrying as much as they used to, they just marry later on. His viewpoint is unlike that of Joan Chandler. Her study in 1993 agrees with my hypothesis. She sees cohabitation as becoming increasingly important in today's society. As it states in my hypothesis she believes people seem to prefer cohabitation as a long-term alternative to marriage. She says cohabitation has been occurring since the 18th century and therefore she believes cohabitation is nothing new. Burgoyne and Clarke's study in 1984 agrees with the study of Robert Chester and can be used to support his study. Whilst at the same time, disproving my hypothesis and ...

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