Job Discussion Forums

[stilljuliet]

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend and I are planning to move to Santiago in September. I have read that Chile is a conservative country.....what do Chileans think about young couples living together before marriage? Would employers mind?

Thanks for your help!


Heather

[kimberlyn]

Although Chile is conservative in many aspects, its surprisingly common for couples to move in together before marriage or even engagement. I know many foreign and Chilean unmarried couples that live together. You and your boyfriend should be fine.

Note: Oddly enough, it seems that it's stranger to be an unmarried woman living alone, or even an unmarried man (young, that is). Because of cultural reasons, and financial ones, most children do not move out of their parents home until they have a significant other to share the cost of an apartment/house with. So much for a bachelor (or bachelorette) pad.

[matttheboy]

divorce was illegal in chile until a couple of years ago so, despite chile being very conservative, it's not particularly frowned upon to have kids out of wedlock or for unmarried couples to live together as it was the norm for people who split from their spouses.

[silverlining]

Hi, I am in Santiago at the moment and there is no problem about unmarried couples living together here - it seems to be as normal as everywhere else. I know of US and UK couples living here together and others living with Chileans and I have students who live together who arent married - so go for it!