Cohabitation: An Exploratory Qualitative Study on the Challenges and Adaptive Strategies of Unmarried Couples in Malaysia
Kohabitasi: Satu Kajian Kualitatif Eksplorasi tentang Cabaran dan Strategi Adaptif Pasangan Tidak Berkahwin di Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33102/sainsinsani.vol11no1.886Keywords:
cohabitation, unmarried couples, qualitative study, adaptive strategiesAbstract
Cohabitation among unmarried couples has become increasingly visible in Malaysia despite persistent cultural stigma and the absence of legal protection. This exploratory qualitative study examines the lived experiences of four unmarried cohabiting couples to understand the challenges they encounter and the adaptive strategies they employ to sustain relationship stability. Using semi structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the study identified three major challenges: adjusting to daily living patterns, navigating external and cultural pressures, and managing financial strain. Participants described difficulties aligning routines, negotiating household responsibilities, concealing their living arrangements from disapproving family members, and coping with unequal financial contributions or ongoing monetary stress. In response, couples adopted a range of adaptive strategies, including collaborative household management, shared financial planning, structured communication rituals, cooling off periods during conflict, and mutual compromise. Some also developed approaches to manage societal and familial disapproval, either through respectful boundary setting or by prioritising personal autonomy. While these strategies often enhanced emotional closeness and mutual understanding, unresolved external pressures and financial burdens continued to strain certain relationships. The findings highlight the complex interplay between relational, cultural, and economic factors shaping cohabitation in Malaysia. This study contributes qualitative insight into an understudied population and offers implications for practitioners supporting couples navigating non traditional relationship arrangements.
Downloads
References
Adegboyega, L. O. (2021). Influence of spousal communication on marital conflict resolution as expressed by married adults in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State: Implications for counselling practice. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth/Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse, 13(1), 71-83. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjfy29602
Arican-Dinc, B., & Gable, S. L. (2023). Responsiveness in romantic partners’ interactions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 53, 101652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101652
Bak-Matejczuk, M., Skvarciany, V., Cwynar, A., Poleszak, W., & Cwynar, W. (2020). Link between financial management behaviours and quality of relationship and overall life satisfaction among married and cohabiting couples: Insights from application of artificial neural networks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1190. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041190
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.
Brown, K. S., Schmidt, B., Morrow, C., & Rougeaux-Burnes, G. (2023). Pre-cohabitation conversations for relationships: Recommended questions for discussion. Contemporary Family Therapy, 45(2), 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-021-09594-6
Brown, S. L., Manning, W. D., & Wu, H. (2022). Relationship quality in midlife: A comparison of dating, living apart together, cohabitation, and marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(3), 860-878. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12813
Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., ... & Walker, K. (2020). Purposive sampling: complex or simple? Research case examples. Journal of research in Nursing, 25(8), 652-661. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987120927206
Carlson, D. L. (2022). Reconceptualizing the gendered division of housework: Number of shared tasks and relationship quality. Sex Roles, 86(9), 528-543. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-022-01282-5
Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545-547.
Casper, L. M., & Bianchi, S. M. (2001). Continuity and change in the American family. Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dagar, M., & Chawla, R. (2024). The study of the outcomes of counselling cohabiting couples in various contexts and environments. International Journal of Psychiatry (IJPSY), 2(1).
Eickmeyer, K. J., Manning, W. D., Longmore, M. A., & Giordano, P. C. (2023). Exploring the Married-Cohabiting Income Pooling Gap Among Young Adults. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 44(4), 990-1006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-023-09885-0
Englander, M. (2012). The interview: Data collection in descriptive phenomenological human scientific research. Journal of phenomenological psychology, 43(1), 13-35.
Foran, H. M., Mueller, J., Schulz, W., & Hahlweg, K. (2022). Cohabitation, relationship satisfaction, and quality. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 746306.
Graf, N. (2019). Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/11/06/key-findings-on-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/
Harrison, J. (2022). Five Arguments All Couples (Need To) Have: And Why the Washing-Up Matters. Souvenir Press.
Jain, D., & Priyesh, C. (2023). The changing paradigm of cohabitation: interplay between social norms, emotional interdependence and subjective well-being. International Journal of Advanced Research, 11(04), 840 851. https://doi.org/10.21474/ijar01/16733
Jenkins, A. I., Le, Y., Surachman, A., Almeida, D. M., & Fredman, S. J. (2023). Associations among financial well-being, daily relationship tension, and daily affect in two adult cohorts separated by the great recession. Journal of social and personal relationships, 40(4), 1103-1125. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221105611
Kanter, J. B., Lavner, J. A., Lannin, D. G., Hilgard, J., & Monk, J. K. (2022). Does couple communication predict later relationship quality and dissolution? A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84(2), 533–551.
Karuppiah, B. (2017). Property Division of Unmarried Cohabitants in Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Law & Society, (21). https://doi.org/10.17576/juum-2017-21-02
Kravdal, Ø., Wörn, J., & Reme, B. A. (2023). Mental health benefits of cohabitation and marriage: A longitudinal analysis of Norwegian register data. Population Studies, 77(1), 91-110.
Kruger, M., Palmer, L., & Goetz, J. (2023). Financial satisfaction: The role of shared financial responsibilities and shared financial values among couples. Financial Services Review, 31(4), 266-282. https://doi.org/10.61190/fsr.v31i4.3341
Lai, W., & Song, J. (2022). Different pathways of the second demographic transition in four East Asian societies: evidence from the 2006 and 2016 East Asian Social Surveys. China Population and Development Studies, 6(4), 373 402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-
022-00118-9
Lesthaeghe, R. (2020). The second demographic transition: Cohabitation. In Cross-cultural family research and practice (pp. 103-141). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-815493-9.00004-1
Lim, I. (2017). Minister to address whether cohabiting couples considered households. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2017/07/24/minister-to-address-whether-cohabiting-couples-considered-households/1427907
Malek, N. B. A. (2016). Is cohabitation an alternative to marriage? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 12-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.04.026
Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2002). First comes cohabitation and then comes marriage? Journal of Family Issues, 23(8), 1065-1087. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251302237303
Miller, A. J., Sassler, S., & Kusi-Appouh, D. (2011). The specter of divorce: Views from working- and middle-class cohabitors. Family Relations, 60(5), 602-616. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2011.00671.x
Nurdin Muhammad, R., Mat Saad, N. S., & Syed Sahuri, S. N. (2025). COVID 19 Pandemic: The Psychological Adjustment of International Students in Malaysian Public Universities: Pandemik COVID-19: Penyesuaian Psikologi Pelajar Antarabangsa di Universiti Awam Malaysia. Sains Insani, 10(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.33102/sainsinsani.vol10no1.712
Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90-99.
Obeng-Hinneh, R., & Kpoor, A. (2022). Cohabitation and its consequences in Ghana. Journal of Family Issues, 43(2), 283-305. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X21994155
Pathak, V., Kalra, S., & Jena, B. (2013). Qualitative research. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 4(3), 192. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-3485.115389
Peetz, J., Fisher-Skau, O., & Joel, S. (2024). How individuals perceive their partner’s relationship behaviors when worrying about finances. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 41(6), 1577–1599. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241227454
Sawai, J. P., Sawai, R. P., Masdin, M., & Abu Zahrin, S. N. (2025). Spouses Differences on Love and Commitment among Commuter Marriage: Perbezaan Cinta dan Komitmen dalam Kalangan Pasangan Perkahwinan Komuter. Sains Insani, 10(1), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.33102/sainsinsani.vol10no1.707
Seok, C. B., Ismail, R., Mutang, J. A., Yee, H. K., Siau, C. S., Fitriana, M., & Yun, L. W. (2022). The Role of Dyadic Coping in Married/cohabiting Adults' Well-being and Relationship Quality During COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Malaysia. International journal of health sciences, 6(S7), 5054-5067. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6ns7.13095
Shenk, S. (2018). Cohabitation: What is at stake? Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology, 19(1), 25-32.
Shi, W., & Lievens, J. (2022). Cohabitation among Chinese minorities in Western countries: an alternative family formation strategy for disadvantaged groups? China Population and Development Studies, 6(2), 141-162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-022-00108-x
Tam, C. L., Lee, T. H., Foo, Y. C., & Lim, Y. M. (2011). Communication skills, conflict tactics and mental health: A study of married and cohabitating couples in Malaysia. Asian social science, 7(6), 79-87.
Thornton, A., Axinn, W. G., & Xie, Y. (2008). Marriage and cohabitation. University of Chicago Press.
Turale, S. (2020). A brief introduction to qualitative description: A research design worth using. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 24(3), 289-291.
Uprety, M. D. (2023). Cohabitation: Conceptual Significance and Practical Inconsistency. Pragya Darshan, 5(1), 29-34. https://doi.org/10.3126/pdmdj.v5i1.52258
Yik, C. S. (2021). Rights Of Cohabitants in Malaysia. Chia, Lee & Associates. https://chialee.com.my/rights-of-cohabitants-in-malaysia/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Celeste Lee Xin Rou, Leong Qiao Yi, Wirawahida Kamarul Zaman, Sonisha Johanthan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1. Author holds the copyright of the article.
2. Jurnal Sains Insani owns the rights to publish the article. The writer may request permission to republish the article from the editor.
3. Jurnal Sains Insani follows the APA (American Psychological Association) style for all in-text citation and list of bibliographies.
