13、Money.doc

Money, education and marriage: the new relationship [ 2011-08-16 14:36 ] FAITH LAPIDUS: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. Im Faith Lapidus. BOB DOUGHTY: And Im Bob Doughty. Back in May, we did a program about untraditional couples in the United States. Since then there have been some developments. FAITH LAPIDUS: For example, same-sex couples now have a right to marry in the state of New York. New York became the sixth and largest state to make same-sex marriage legal. The new law took effect in late July. BOB DOUGHTY: And there are new findings about cohabitating couples in America. This week on our program, we look at some of the reasons why more couples are deciding to live together without getting married. FAITH LAPIDUS: And, later, we tell you about another development, although this one involves a traditional group. More married couples are staying married. (MUSIC) BOB DOUGHTY: Population experts at the Census Bureau say cohabitation rates jumped between?2009 and 2010. There was a?13 percent increase in the number of couples who started living together without getting married first. What could have caused such a big increase in just one year? The Great Recession -- the worst downturn in Americas economy since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Officially the recession lasted eighteen months. The economy began to grow again in June of 2009. But the Commerce Department now says the recession was even worse than it thought. And the recovery has been slower than expected. Some economists are warning of the possibility of another recession, a double dip. FAITH LAPIDUS: Researchers say the Great Recession played a big part in pushing cohabitation rates higher. Now, almost one in ten opposite-sex couples in the United States live together outside marriage. Increasingly a major difference between couples who get married and couples who do not is money. Charlie Pinto married his girlfriend in New Jersey earlier this year. Both of them are 26. They met i