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Large-scale changes in lifestyles and the establishment of personal relationships have taken place over the past few years. This article will therefore focus on the different lifestyles, specifically marriage and cohabitative relationships. A heated debate is raging with regard to the influence of cohabitative relationships on marital stability People express their heterosexual relationships in three ways, namely by going out, living together and getting married (Scanzoni 1995). Marriage Marriage as an institution has undergone major changes (Popenoe 1993). According to Whitehead and Popenoe (2001), the social, economic, religious and public functions associated with marriage have changed. While marriage its the history of Western countries helped people to satisfy their personal and social needs, regulated sexual relationships, created a domestic environment, provided financial support and made the socialisation of children possible (Rathus 2002), it is now no longer merely a social institution for economic security and reproduction, but a road to self-fulfilment (Berger & Thompson 1994). It is evident from research undertaken in different countries that a decline in marriages is taking place (All About Cohabitating, n.d.; Amoateng 2004; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1995; Chidammodzi; 1994). Tire factors that play a role include a decline in the benefits of the marital relationship, a decline in the role of religion in society and art increase in cohabitative relationships. The cohabitative relationship Cohabitation can be regarded in different ways. According to Oropesa (1996), it can be regarded as a phase of going out, a precursor to marriage, or as a relationship in itself Le Roux (1997) agrees with this, and regards cohabitation as either an alternative for or a precursor to marriage. However, Rindfuss and Van den Heuvel (1990) are of the opinion that cohabitation is an alternative to being single. There are several explanations for the fact that people may prefer cohabitation to marriage. Cohabitative relationships have numerous advantages. According to Amato (1998) cohabitative relationships may be relationships of a transient stature that are based on sexual attraction. In this sense, cohabitative relationships give people the opportunity to postpone marriage, but simultaneously to enjoy the benefits of a sexual relationship. According to Whitehead and Popenoe (2001), further advantages of a cohabitative relationship include the fact that it offers the persons concerned the opportunity to determine their partners' habits, character and reliability. In this regard, it therefore serves as a trial run for marriage (Scanzoni 1995). Some people cohabit as a way of avoiding the risk of divorce, possibly because they came out of broken homes. For others, cohabitative relationships offer financial benefits (Whitehead & Popenoe 2001). It is therefore clear that cohabitative relationships may have several advantages for couples. Cohabitative relationships also have several disadvantages. People its cohabitative relationships often struggle with problems similar to those experienced in marriage, such as overinvolvement with each other that may lead to a loss of identity (Bird & Melville 1994). Other disadvantages include the fact that there is less security in a cohabitative relationship, and that problems could arise when children are born of the relationship (Amato 1988). The influence of lifestyle choices on marital stability There are various hypotheses that explain the influence of cohabitative relationships on marital stability.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]