Pamela Smock tells John Stossel from Fox News that although cohabitation is the new normal in union formation, the path into and out of cohabitation depends on social class, with “more privileged people meeting, dating, cohabiting, then marrying … and then having children.” She also clarifies that stable cohabiting unions are the same as marriages in terms of outcomes for children.

More about Smock says half of all U.S. cohabiting couples end up marrying, 40% break up, 10% cohabit long term >