Increase in Cohabitation for Practical Reasons

“Unwed Partners up 72% in U.S.” (Aug. 20) failed to mention that many people, myself and my fiancee included, live together not just because we plan to marry, but also because it’s financially advantageous. Considering today’s exorbitant cost of living, cohabitating has enabled us to split the costs for housing, utilities, food and even car insurance. And as the U.S. becomes more overpopulated, housing more scarce and prices more unreachable, this trend will continue to rise. As for those who cry immorality, cohabitating couples aren’t doing anything they wouldn’t already be doing even if they lived apart. It’s just more, uh, convenient this way.

Mike Laskavy

Oak Park

Your use of a headline to proclaim a 72% increase in the number of unmarried cohabiters, though true, is certainly misleading. Though the number of unmarried cohabiters has increased considerably, it remains a tiny fraction of the total (1.9%).

Harmon W. Hubbard

Los Angeles