Live in relationships: What society thinks about it?

by Puja
happy-couple
  1. Introduction
  2. View of society
  3. Advantages of live-in-relationship
  4. Disadvantages of live-in relationship
  5. View of Indian judiciary
  6. Conclusion

With the new generation, live in relationships has become so much standard everywhere. Couples tend to start living together before marriage. People nowadays don’t want to get married and go for live in instead. They find it as sharing of responsibilities that they don’t want to get married due to career pressure. Live-in relationships satisfy their ideas of getting married without any stress.

For some couples, live-in relationships are a more excellent way of taking their relationship to the next level. Further, many couples live in to test the compatibility before they get married. As soon as two people fall in love, they start dating. Most couples end in marriage or breakups. But the phase between the two is what we call live in relationships. Many couples choose not to marry and live in a gift in disguise for such couples.

While couples live, they end up sharing their financial responsibilities as well as give emotional support. Likewise, the live-in relationships provide the couples with a chance to end their relationship without going through breakups. But the live-in relationship is not a bed of roses. The couples have to deal with a lot of pressure from society. The Indian culture doesn’t seem to understand the concept leading to so many problems for the people. Live-in relationships are considered taboo in India even today. Parents don’t agree to it, and landlords don’t give rent to that sort of couples. But this could not stop several couples from taking the road.

The class difference when it comes to live in relationships

It is seen that the concept of live-in relationships is seen to be acceptable in the more prosperous class of the society. Many politicians and Bollywood celebrities live in, but no one seems to bother them a lot. The “Common-man” only appears to oppose the idea. Likewise, middle-class families also are trying to broaden the minds and accept the concept. Live-in relationships are not just for the youngsters.

An elderly couple in Kerala married after doing live-in relationships for about 40 years. Besides, many divorced or widowed couples have also found love while staying in a live-in relationship. The young people in India find it the best suitable means without following the complexities of life. People today don’t like to get into the pressure of marital norms. Live in is a kind of rebellion for the youth. For instance, the Garasia tribes of Rajasthan put so many restrictions on the women, so they tend to live in relationships.

Advantages of staying in live in relationships

A live-in relationship has no obligation before doing the marriage thing. Besides, there is no emotion involved, and it’s easy to dismiss the live-in relationship. But there are many advantages of doing live-in relationships.

Material Advantages of live In relationships

  • Greater financial freedom

Financial freedom is one of the most significant benefits of staying in. While in marriage, the couples have to share the incomes and maintain joint bank accounts. While in live in relation, the couples can transfer the money to retain the households. But the couples have the freedom to do whatever they want to with the earnings.

  • Best of both worlds

In live-in relationships, couples can enjoy the advantages of having a stable partner, just like marriage. But the people can enjoy their single life also to the fullest. Even though the partners are committed, but there are no responsibilities at all. The couples don’t have any responsibility towards the other partner’s family. They enjoy the personal space just like in single life. And there can be nothing better than this!

  • Limits the legal hassles

When a marriage ends, there is the never-ending torture one has to go through the divorce process. There is asset division along with alimony and custody of children. A marriage can turn to be quite challenging to dissolve, but in a live-in relationship, there is no such burden at all. The couples have the freedom to walk in and out of their lives without any legal problems. There is no need for any legal papers, and one doesn’t have to go through the tedious divorce proceedings in court.

young couple

Emotional Advantages of live In relationships

  • Puts Compatibility to the Test

Live-in relationships are tested to a relation. If you can survive in the relationship without problems, you will also be able to get married. Secondly, all those couples who opt to live in the relationship first tend to have excellent relationships later in life. So, the couples can test the partners first and see if the relations will work or not.

  • Easier to build mutual respect.

Where there is no pressure of being financially dependent on one another, couples tend to live happier. It helps them in building mutual respect quickly. Also, you tend to start respecting your partner and their personal space. You begin making your partner so much comfortable in the process. You can stay away from relatives’ negative influence and can do all things couples can’t do in their marriages.

Disadvantages of live in relationships

breakup
  • Live in relationships don’t have commitment at all. In live in relations, couples don’t try to save their relations during break ups. As per the patriarchal norms of the society, women suffer the most when stepping out of the conventional ways of relationships. Children born out of live-in relationships are greatly affected by the decisions. Child born out of live in have no legal parents, putting their future in stake.

The view of the Indian judiciary on live in relationships

What differentiates Marriage from Live In??

India still has a hard time accepting the concept of live-in relationship broadly yet. While in Western countries, the people have a broader view of the concept. The Supreme Court of India pointed out that if a man and women live like husband and wife for a long time and have children, they will be treated married. We know of enough court rulings against couples. Couples who have lived together for almost 50 years.

But for the couple to be termed as marriage, there are few conditions to be met:

  1. The couples must hold as if they are akin to the spouses
  2. They must be adults or have the legal age of entering into marriage though they don’t want to join.
  3. They should live together for an extended period.
Indian Judiciary on live in relationships

Indian Acceptability of Live In

Live-in relationships, though, is a modern concept but not meant for everyone. Not all couples want to enjoy that phase in life. It can sometimes put unnecessary pressure on the couples to get committed soon. Couples are allowed to do whatever they like if they are adults. Indian society since times immemorial has only valued traditions more than anything.

The concept of live-in relation is very opposite to marriage. Indian people are only conditioned to judgement and values, but it is wrong to judge people who are not ready to get married. It’s people’s personal choice, and no one can judge someone based on that.

As India is coming more in contact to the outside world, the concept of live-in relationship is becoming more acceptable. The young people have formed a social chain where they do what they love doing. Live-in relationships have disadvantages, too, but it turns out to be a litmus test for people who want a trial before marriage. People can marry for the wrong reasons, and that will end in divorce. So, it’s better to have a test before getting married.

Conclusion

If live-in relationships are made legal and socially acceptable in India, more people will opt for them. It will help solve problems in marriage and especially getting married early. It would even save people from heartbreaks and pain.

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