Even in a steady relationship statu

Even in a steady relationship status, such as cohabitation,
youths might not be committed or have joint plans for the
future. In the past, cohabitation preceded marriage and mostly
led to such a commitment. Today, a large number of emerging
adults slide into cohabitation, have a ‘‘stay-over’’ relationship,
or move in together to test the relationship but do not end up
staying together (see Shulman & Connolly, 2013). Nevertheless,
as with the professional career domain, the vast majority
of emerging adults perceive marriage as an important goal in
their lives. All the foregoing notwithstanding, young people
eventually do move toward commitment to a long-lasting partnership
(Cohen et al., 2003), but the process and path to it are
nonlinear and uneven.