‘MOVING BEYOND DATING TO SHARING DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES’: EXPLAINING COHABITATION PRACTICES AMONG STUDENTS IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY.

Abstract

This study examined the attitudes and practices of cohabitation among students in a selected University in South West Nigeria. The study was motivated by the increasing prevalence of cohabitation on university campuses despite strong cultural, religious, and moral prohibitions against the practice. Anchored on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Symbolic Interactionist Theory (SIT), the design was exploratory involving the conduct of in-depth interviews with 22 purposively selected students who were cohabiting at the time of the study or had cohabited in the past. Data were content analysed. The findings indicated an awareness of cohabitation among students, with emotional companionship, economic convenience, and proximity to campus emerging as dominant motivations. Cultural and religious beliefs continued to shape negative perceptions, especially among female students, who experienced greater stigma and moral judgement. While respondents agreed that cohabitation offers emotional and academic convenience, some also maintained that it undermines the sanctity of marriage. Cohabitation was also perceived to have implications for students’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including increased likelihood of sexual activity, risk of unintended pregnancy, and exposure to sexually transmitted infections. The study concluded that cohabitation among students is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by socio-economic pressures, relational needs, and the gradual re-negotiation of traditional norms. Although students increasingly normalize the practice, moral ambivalence and gendered inequalities persist. The research recommended that the University management should expand affordable hostel facilities, strengthen youth-friendly SRH services, and introduce counselling programs that address relationship management and reproductive health education.

Keywords: Cohabitation, University students, Attitudes and practices, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Economic hardship.