Of all cohabitation relationships that end, sixty-one percent end in marriage. Researchers suggest that this means cohabitation has not replaced marriage as the preferred outcome for most couples. As time passes more and more cohabiters get married to each other, yet when compared to those in first marriages without cohabitation, cohabiters divorce rates are much higher. How do we explain cohabitation as a "test-run" for marriage, when the more successful couples are those who did not cohabit? Read More.