Final answer:
Couples who do not cohabitate before marriage have slightly better rates of staying married long-term and may value the commitment and stability that marriage brings. While cohabitation before marriage is becoming more common and socially acceptable, it has little effect on the success of a marriage.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are several benefits for couples who decide to wait until they are married for sexual relationships. Recent trends observed from various studies suggest that couples who refrain from cohabitation before marriage tend to have slightly better rates of staying married for more than ten years. Since sexual practices and attitudes towards them vary greatly among different groups, some couples may also value the commitment and stability that come with marriage before engaging in sexual relationships. The choice to wait is often influenced by personal values, cultural beliefs, and the desire to build a strong foundation for the relationship based on emotional and intellectual connections rather than physical ones.
On the other hand, many couples are choosing to live together before marriage, a concept widely known as cohabitation. This is partly due to changing social norms and the decreased stigma associated with living together without marital vows. Cohabitation often acts as a test run for couples to 'work out the kinks' of a relationship prior to getting married. That said, research has found that this doesn't necessarily have a significant effect on the future success of a marriage.