More elderly people in Beijing have chosen to live together without getting married. Why would they choose cohabitation rather than marriage? Our reporter Ning Yan finds out.

Many seniors choosing cohabitation say they want to get rid of the troubles a late marriage might bring about.

Yi Mi, vice-president of the local elderly people's federation explains.

"People nowadays are thinking more of their lifestyles, the elderly are no exception. To some of them, walking directly into marriage can lead to problems such as property disputes. Some children dislike a re-arrangement of the heritage due to another marriage by a parent. Elderly people themselves also decline to see family conflicts due to a late marriage."

The official says many cohabiting seniors are worried about the short amount of time they will have with their new "late in life" partner. This new relationship is also commonly seen as negative and disruptive by the couples' previous children and creates jealousy and arguments within the family. The end result is a feeling of worthlessness for the elderly.
Moreover, official sources say the divorce rate is high among remarried elderly couples, which, in many cases, is caused by disputes over property.

Compared with youngsters' living together, the society has shown a tolerant attitude towards the elderly choosing to live together.

The famous Sohu website recently held a survey on people's attitudes towards the issue. 90 percent of the more than 4,000 respondents showed their approval.

But some legal experts disagree. They argue elderly people can only have their property rights protected with a lawful marriage. Shared property by cohabiting senior couples is not legally protected.

Besides, Yi Mi, says there are heartbroken seniors whose partners pass away. They are then not recognized by their partner's children even though they have taken good care of their new lover later in life.

"As a social worker for the elderly, I would advise the seniors that before passion assumes the upper hand, elderly people, especially women, should ponder the consequences of forsaking proper legal protection. In addition, winning the support of their children can also make things easier in such cases."

Sounds rational, but is it realistic for some elderly who want to get out of loneliness without causing disputes? To some of them, cohabitation without getting married may be the lesser of the two evils, but in many cases, the result is more nurve-racking.

Yi Mi adds although China has fairly developed its social mechanism in the past few years to take care of the elderly, concerns and support from the children are still essential.

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