In the past, cohabitation was mainly seen among the working class, but it has spread to a wide range of people. Some people participate in cohabitation because it is economically beneficial for the partners. Some people participate in cohabitation as a prelude to marriage. Some people participate in cohabitation because they like the idea more than the idea of ​​a legal marriage. (McDaniel and Tepperman, 2011) Cohabitation is also called common-law union; it has many of the same legal implications as a marriage. A person would be considered to be in a common-law relationship after two years. Cohabitation is considered a less stable form of union than legal marriage. There are fewer advantages to cohabitation than to marriage, such as: less responsibility for the other person, especially during a crisis, there is less involvement in the extended family and also, rates of domestic violence are higher. But many people prefer this form of union to legal marriage. The rate of people living common-law increased dramatically between 2001 and 2006, reaching a total of 18.9 percent. (McDaniel and Tepperman,