Final answer:
A major reason why older individuals might choose to cohabit rather than remarry is to avoid financial obligations and legal complications associated with marriage. Cohabitation is seen as a more flexible option and is becoming increasingly accepted. It may also serve as a 'trial run' for marriage, although it has little effect on marital success rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
A major reason why older individuals (50+) might decide to cohabit and not get remarried is that they want to avoid the financial obligations and potential complications that come with marriage. With the changing societal norms, many couples now view cohabitation as a more flexible and less legally binding option than marriage. This is consistent with the growing acceptance of cohabitation in society as demonstrated by the Pew Research Center (2010), which found that a sizable portion of society no longer views marriage as an essential institution.
Cohabitation provides couples with the opportunity to save money on living costs and spend more time together without the full commitment of marriage. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report (2010), the majority of cohabitating relationships eventually lead to marriage, though some couples prefer to maintain their independence and flexibility by cohabiting indefinitely.
Additionally, cohabitation can serve as a form of "trial run" for marriage, allowing couples to work through relationship issues before making a legal commitment. Despite this, the most recent research indicates that cohabitation has little effect on the success of a marriage, with non-cohabitating couples showing slightly better rates of remaining married for more than ten years.