In the past decade, living in relationships where a couple choose to move under the same roof to live together before the marriage has been increasing. Live in relationship is a concept of “cohabitation” adopted from Western Countries. It is an arrangement where two people involved in a romantic and sexual relationship live together as partners under the same roof for a long term or permanently without marriage commitment.

Live-in relationship vs. marriage- Both these have different ideological, psychological, emotional, and social bearings. Both have different set-ups, challenges, and views.

What is the advantage of marriage?

When you enter a wedlock, it is also your decision, but when you want an opinion or suggestion, you can rely on parents and family members who will step in to help to make the decision. Not all marriages are going to be trouble free. It takes several years to get to know the person you are married to. If there is a difference of opinion as husband and wife, you can talk it out. When you have kids, you will both feel and share the responsibility. In the institute of marriage kids grow up in a stable environment and will develop relationship with entire family. During your difficult times, your family will step in to help and give support.  Society is changing and nuclear families are becoming common. Still, the advantage of leading a married life gives,

• Emotional support
• Financial support
• Marriage is legal
• It is a socially accepted form of relationship
• Physical support
• Commitment
• Sense of protection
• Family support during any events (divorce, sickness, ceremonies etc.)

Sometimes, marriage can also end for various reasons. We can see constant fights between the two for various reasons. With many people involved, finding a solution to end the fight is not hard. You can always explore your options for legal support or get counseling along with your partner.

Live in relationship:

Living in a relationship is your decision. In countries like India, the concept of living together is yet to be accepted by society. The reason for this is, the community believes in ‘family life’ where a person marries then lives together with other family members, has kids’ lives etc.

Why is the present generation attracted to living in relationships?  

In past decade the number of live in relationship in India has increased. Couple want to live together for their own reasons. These reasons could be-

• to understand the person better,
• to bond better,
• to understand compatibility level,
• not to be disturbed by any
• to save money
• to experience how life will be after marriage
• easy separation (no legal issues like divorcing)
• and to enjoy a free life without in-laws and siblings
• don’t want to marry a stranger chosen by their parents

Whatever your reasons, if you choose to be in a living relationship, one piece of advice before moving in with your partner is “think twice before you move in”. As you don’t want to involve your family, decision is solely yours. You are entering a life where there is no commitment, you may find it hard to get a rental, differences in daily habits like food habits, housework, shopping etc., concerns about getting pregnant, financial problems could arise, constant fights and uncertainty about the future -are some of the issues one could face in living in a relationship. Whatever the goals you wanted to achieve as couple may not happen.

Recent studies have shown that while there is an increase in the number of live-in relationships, there is also an increase in domestic violence. When you are moving in with a stranger, you should know the background of the person. There are several cases where physical and mental abuse has been reported, and some relationships resulted in fatal incidents. If you choose to go in a relationship, always keep in touch with your family, friends and siblings for your wellbeing.

Image credit: Image by 5688709 from Pixabay