( CNN ) -- Taylor Spearnak met her boyfriend in 2002 , during her third year of college , when they were both congressional interns in Washington . A friend set them up , and they laughed for hours over cheap burgers and a terrible action movie . They kept the relationship going when they returned to their schools in Boston , and when they studied law at schools in different states . In 2007 , when they reunited in New York City , they decided it made sense for them to move in together , Spearnak said . They lived in one of the most expensive cities in the country , and had law school loans to pay off . They 'd be busy as new law firm associates , and knew they 'd be spending nights at each other 's apartments , anyway . Spearnak 's parents trusted them , and thought it was a smart decision . `` We knew we were serious , but not ready for marriage . This was the next step for us , '' the 30-year-old lawyer said . `` We wanted to be able to spend as much time together as possible . '' As the stigma of `` living in sin '' fades and more people delay marriage , researchers are finding that living together before marriage can be a stabilizing force in relationships . It is often leading to marriage and children , demographer Casey Copen said . Between 2006 and 2010 , 48 % of women between the ages of 15 and 44 moved in for the first time with a man to whom they were n't married , according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's National Center for Health Statistics . In 2002 , it was 43 % . In 1995 , it was 34 % . That 's 1 in 4 women living with a man by age 20 and almost 3 in 4 by 30 , according to the report , `` First Premarital Cohabitation in the United States , '' which studied male-female relationships . `` Generations that were cohabitating less are now being replaced by a group of women and men that find cohabitation to be quite normal , '' said Copen , the study 's lead author . `` Overall , these unions are lasting longer , they 're more stable and the highest proportion of them transition to marriage . '' Marriage : It ai n't what it used to be . The increase does n't surprise psychotherapist Lisa Kift , who counsels married and unmarried couples in her San Francisco , California , practice . Just as social mores are changing what families look like , long-term partnering is changing , too , she said . The study , which is based on 12,279 interviews from 2006 to 2010 , found a shrinking percentage of women moving in with a man for the first time because of marriage -- 23 % in 2012 , down from 30 % in 2002 and 39 % in 1995 . `` Long-term commitments are more broadly defined and for many , can mean cohabitation without a legal document or public declaration , '' she said . `` Many couples believe they are doing their due diligence by having the experience of living together before making a commitment to marry . '' But do these unions last ? And do they lead to marriage ? The study found that 40 % of women living with significant others for the first time between 2006 and 2010 transitioned to marriage within three years , while 32 % of those relationships remained the same and 27 % dissolved . The numbers are growing across racial and ethnic groups , except for Asian women , the study said . Demographers use the information to explore how cultural and economic differences can change the experience , Copen said . Forty-four percent of white women married within three years of living together the first time , while 31 % of black women and U.S.-born Hispanic women did so . Fifty-three percent of women with a bachelor 's degree or higher had transitioned to marriage by the three-year mark , while 30 % of women with less than a high school diploma had married by then . Spearnak and her boyfriend intend to marry one day . But , they 've been together so long that it sometimes feels like they 're already married , she said . Her parents want them to marry , she said , but by being committed and comfortable , they 've pushed back against pressure . What 's the rush ? `` Neither of us feels a need to put a ring on it , '' she said . `` We know we are solid . We survived the bar ( exam ) , assembling IKEA furniture and moving . '' Cohabitation leads to childbearing with greater frequency , the study found . Nearly 20 % of women became pregnant within a year of moving in with someone for the first time , up from 18 % in 2002 and 15 % in 1995 . The chances of becoming pregnant were higher among women younger than 20 , foreign-born Hispanic women and women with less than a high school diploma . Montclair , New Jersey , resident Sarah Groom lives with her boyfriend of nearly nine years , and recently gave birth to a baby girl . They met at a fraternity house in Boulder , Colorado , in 2003 and developed an relationship a year later . It was a passionate , impulsive decision when they moved in together in 2005 , but stressful , too , she said . They broke up , moved out , argued over who got the dog and reunited more than once . They live together now , and she wants to get married , but it has n't happened . Along the way , there was `` stress , chaos , self-doubt and even resentment , '' but it seems to have worked out , she said . But , her experiences have taught her the importance of foresight , she said . `` I have a beautiful baby girl now , so it is hard to say I regret my choice , '' Groom said . `` I would advise people choosing to cohabitate prior to marriage , to not make the decision lightly and to discuss potential issues that may arise and how they would be handled well in advance . '' There are still benefits to getting married , she said . `` One works harder to preserve a relationship , '' she said . `` Its whole nature is less disposable . '' Follow Emanuella Grinberg on Twitter .
Premarital cohabitation leading to marriage , kids with greater frequency , CDC study finds . From 2006 to 2010 , 48 % of unmarried women aged 15 to 44 lived with someone for first time . Report : Nearly 20 % of women became pregnant within a year of premarital cohabitation . Couples view living together as way of testing waters for marriage , psychotherapist says .