Cohabitation in Germany - Rules, Reality and Public Discourses

Like other western societies Germany, too, has experienced increasing divorce rates, a growing number of lone parents, women's and men's reluctance to marry and to have children and increasing rates of cohabitation. However, changing marriage and family behavior does not cause moral panics. They are largely interpreted as indicators of ongoing cultural modernization. This essay gives some insights into German attitudes towards what is perceived as an increasing plurality of living arrangements. It briefly presents empirical data on people who live together and explains the peculiar legal status of cohabitation which cannot be severed from that of marriage. Since the 1950s, the meaning and content of cohabitation have been both constantly broadened as well as deepened through jurisprudence. This has put further pressure on privileges attached to marriage and families built on marriage