Most countries, believing that married people form a kind of demographic and political bedrock, promote marriage (and, of course, child-having within wedlock). Nonetheless, many couples choose to live together before marriage and many choose not to get married at all. Their numbers are increasing all over the developed world at a remarkable rate. Co-habitation is now more than “shacking up”; it’s a common life-choice. In Not Just Roommates: Cohabitation after the Sexual Revolution (Chicago UP, 2012), Elizabeth H. Pleck examines the rise of cohabitation and asks whether cohabiters have not become second class citizens. She says they have and has some suggestions about how to give them the same opportunities those who married have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies