Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships

Many couples in the United States choose to live together. In fact, cohabitation has become normative, both as a typical living arrangement and a precursor to marriage. Yet while the media increasingly concurs that cohabitation is “the new normal,” we know very little about how these relationships begin and unfold. At what point in the relationship do people decide to move in together, and why? And what happens afterwards?

In a Chats in the Stacks book talk, Sharon Sassler, professor of policy analysis and management in the College of Human Ecology, will present her new book Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships (University of California Press; Aug. 15, 2017), coauthored by Amanda Miller, associate professor of sociology at the University of Indianapolis.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with young couples who shared their relationship stories and their dreams for the future, Sharon Sassler will provide us with an inside view of how cohabiting relationships play out before and after couples move in together. Her research explores the he said/she said of romantic dynamics, delving into hot-button issues, such as housework, birth control, finances, and expectations for a future life together. Sassler will discuss the impacts of social class and education on romantic relationships in an era of economic uncertainty, and what it means to live together in the 21st century.

Light refreshments served.

The book talk series at Mann Library is supported by the Mary A. Morrison Public Education Fund.