Live-in Relationship is no more a new concept in today’s world, it is the concept that has been in practice for quite a long time. A live-in relationship allows the couple to know the partner without having to engage in a legally binding relationship. In a live-in relationship, a couple lives together share a common roof, and eat the food cooked on the same hearth but without any legal binding. A live-in relationship is somewhat a different concept as compared to a marriage where two people(couple) enter into a relationship that is legally binding and it gives a different status to a couple’s relationship in the eyes of law and society. Marriage is a much older concept than live-in relationships.
The term live-in Relationship is also called as cohabitation.
Earlier in Indian society, there was no concept of live-in relationships but nowadays it is a quite familiar term. The live-in-relationship might be a new term but the concept of live-in relationships is much older. According to Vedas, there are eight types of marriages namely: Brahma marriage, Arsha marriage, Prajapatya marriage, Asura marriage, Deva marriage, Rakshasa marriage, Gandharva marriage, and Paisacha marriage. The concept of a live-in relationship has been derived from the Gandharva marriage. In Gandharva marriage, a man and a woman mutually agree or give their consent to get married. In the Gandharva type of marriage, the relationship becomes legally binding after both the person give their mutual consent to enter into a relationship. This form of marriage is nearly the same as the concept of a live-in relationship but the major difference between the two is that in a live-in relationship there is no such legal obligation to be performed by both the partners into the relationship whereas in marriage both the partners are legally bound and need to follow certain rules and regulation pertaining in the society.
The live-in Relationship is no more considered a taboo in today’s world. Nowadays both the man and the woman believe more in this new concept. Society has also changed their perception of this new term. The term live-in Relationship has completely evolved the concept of love between the partners before their marriage. In today’s times mostly the couples enter into a live-in relationship to understand each other better before entering into a permanent bond of ‘marriage’.
The couples into live-in relationships share a common roof and perform all the major activities which a couple does after marriage. This helps them to understand each other better and get familiarise with all the activities which they might perform after the marriage. The old perception of the live-in relationship has seen a drastic change in the mindset of people and the society of which the couple is a part. The evolution of the concept of live-in relationships might have also decreased the cases of divorces in society to a certain extent although there hasn’t been any study that shows a drastic change or decline in the cases of divorce in society. Now many couples prefer live-in relationship before marriage to seek a couple of time to understand each other and the responsibilities which they have or need to perform after marriage. The main reason behind the increase in the practice of live-in relationships is that it is considered to be more flexible over marriages. Marriages are the permanent bond between the partners which bind them legally. But on the other hand, live-in relationships are temporary and are not legally binding.
The major advantage for the couple in a live-in relationship is that they need not face any legal implications which they might face in case of marriage failure. Now live-in relationship is considered no more a taboo in the today’s world of modernization. Many people believe that the evolution of the concept of live-in relationships in society has decreased the number of cases of marriage failures. Now the parents have also understood the importance of mutual consent and understanding which they might not feel important earlier. The live-in relationship has widened the scope of the relationship of a couple before their marriage. Now couples can build more strong marriage relationships with better understanding.
Moreover, a live-in relationship has also led to a significant decline in the numbers of domestic violence and abuse. With this, both the man and woman can provide better stability to their relationship. They are also able to raise their children in a much better way. But somehow in rural areas, the live-in relationship concept is still new whereas in urban areas people are much familiar with this concept. In rural areas still live-in relationship is a new concept. The people of rural areas find it much difficult to adjust to this new term. People of some majorly backward areas still find early more preferable as compared to the marriage with mutual consent. So live-in relationship comes much after the thinking and perception of live-in relationships.
Live-in relationships are usually created to build and maintain strong bonds between the couples. However, this practice has very well justified its presence in society but somehow the people may find it tough to accept when it comes to their family and loved ones. However, the sense of insecurity among the society has been the biggest huddle in the effective practice of live-in relationships. Some people (especially girls’ families) may also believe that sexual relationships in live-in might led to problems for the girls and their families in the future.
Live relationships are considered as an evil practice due to some reasons which make this practice weird and not trustworthy in the society. Firstly, the lack of trustworthiness among the couples in the relationships and their family may sometimes be considered as harmful and unsafe for the couple’s future. This is because trustworthiness among the couples and trust is the major factor for building a strong and smooth relationship that lasts for long years. The relationship is something that needs transparency and trust from both ends and sometimes people may find it tough to bring transparency and trust into their relationship which further leads to separation of the couple.
Secondly, lack of social acceptance of the people toward this new concept and weird behavior of the society with the followers of this practice has been the biggest problem which needs to be solved by the society. Society must understand the evolution and make certain adjustments with regard to this practice. This perception of the people is mainly because of their orthodox thinking which is making them lacking behind to accept this social change. People mostly believe that there is no need of changing the social norms and practices which are been practiced for quite a long time because they prefer adjusting to the social norms rather than changing them according to the needs of the society.
Thirdly, the people might feel that the live-in relationship doesn’t imply any legal implications which might make the partner non-serious in binding the relationships. According to me, this is the biggest problem for the families of the mates which resists them from supporting live-in Relationships.
Fourthly, more expectations from the partners may lead to separation of the couples who are into live-in but the couples who are married must make adjustments rather than separating if the other partner doesn’t meet their expectations. Thus, live-in relationships make sometimes lead to separation if the partner doesn’t meet the criteria or expectations of the other partner.
Lastly, discipline among the couples might make the movement of the relationship difficult for both people. Lack of discipline among people before marriage and unhealthy family planning may cause various problems for the couple in the near future for them.
Hence there are certain problems or barriers which people into the relationship may find it difficult to cross. More hardships in live-in relationships make it a rare and weird practice for the couples in society.
Therefore, live-in relationship is a new term but not a new concept for society and the people. Live-in relationships are somethings that might not be considered as weird especially in the era of the 21st century. This is a concept that is very familiar to the general public. It gives a reasonable period for the couple into the relation to understand very well each other and create a strong bond. However, certain barriers might make this practice look weird and unpractical for the couples who want to understand and know each other before marriage. Society has also restricted the couples to perform activities within the social norms and have made their family un-adaptive to accept the social change. This the main reason for making the taboo of the live-in relationship. But now people and their families are accepting this social change. There are now giving their loved one’s ample time to know each other and get familiarise with the responsibilities of a married couple.
Hence live-in relationships are considered as no more a taboo for society. The couples into the relationship before marriage must use this with honesty and transparency and the families must also give the couple suitable time to understand the new things, roles, and responsibilities.
0 Comments