Shacking up for the future

That is, however, if you're ever proposed to at all. More common is the situation that, five years on, you'll still be in a de facto relationship. The statistics indicate that your expectation for marriage will likely have waned, but you may be almost ready to start talking children.

While cohabitation does seem to provide for our need for intimacy with a level of casualness appropriate to our short-term interests, it does so by undermining the chances of marriage (whether intentionally or unintentionally) for many.

In the midst of the cohabiting majority, young people put marriage in the "too good to be true" box. But it isn't out of reach, the opportunities are there, if we care to look. Are we in fact settling for second best when it really matters? Are we giving up on marrying someone who'll promise they'll love us unconditionally and forever (toilet seat up or down)? We know that choosing marriage comes with apparent sacrifices and risks. What if someone better comes along? (Or worse, what if someone better than you comes long?!)

The price of permanent love is unconditional commitment. With that comes the freedom to flourish and grow (into Mr and Mrs Right, together). Marriage requires the decision to opt for permanence and exclusivity. It is these ingredients that are quintessential for raising children in Australia today.