Common - law marriage in most states is considered the same as a legal and binding formal marriage, and the process of getting a divorce is roughly the same. (rocketlawyer.com)
One study suggest that living in a non-marital union «has a direct negative impact on subsequent marital stability» perhaps because living in such a union «undermines the legitimacy of formal marriage» and so «reduces the commitment of marriage.» (divorcesource.com)
While 22 percent of mainline Protestants attend churches that offer formal marriage or parenting programs, only 20 percent of conservative Protestants do (though many evangelicals and fundamentalists get family support from parachurch ministries like Focus on the Family). (religion-online.org)