| Sumario: | A study was conducted to explore the prevalence of cohabitation, observe trends in cohabitation between 1960 and 1990, and investigate the conditions leading older persons to cohabit. Results reveal that the prevalence of cohabitation among the elderly is low but that cohabitation is rapidly increasing. In 1990, 2.4 percent of unmarried persons age 60 and over were cohabiting, compared with virtually 0 percent in 1960. By 1990, there were 407,000 elderly cohabitors, up from a figure of 9,600 in 1960. The practice of cohabitation will increase when cohorts with considerably higher levels of cohabitation shortly enter old age. Variables measuring individual characteristics, economic motivations, and the social context are employed to predict trends in cohabitation.
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