This paper examines the stability, duration and quality of cohabiting relationships and it evaluates whether the presence of children or the experience of a prior union affect the duration of such relationships. It finds that short cohabitations which transition into marriage experience relatively low levels of instability, whereas cohabitations that are not moving towards marriage have high levels of instability and low relationship satisfaction. It also finds that the presence of children and the experience of prior cohabiting relationships negatively affect the duration, stability and satisfaction of a cohabiting union.