We must not ignore the fact that times have been changing very fast and the young generation has also been becoming more independent and aspirant to be on their own as fast as possible. Also, they want to spend more time together with their partners and test out living together before tying the knot, many couples choose to live together. This article is about cohabitation.

1. ‘LIVE-IN’ RELATIONSHIPS-GOOD OR
BAD?
Man and woman holding hands together (Depiction of their relationship)
For the past around a week, almost every household has
been shocked to know about the gruesome killing of
Shradha Walker. Many questions have been raised
regarding the safety and security of the children
attaining adulthood and financial
independence-especially the girls. Hardly there is any
parent who has not been seriously getting worried about
their girls doing higher studies or working in offices
locally or in other states. We must not ignore the fact
that times have been changing very fast and the young

2. generation has also been becoming more independent
and aspirant to be on their own as fast as possible.
Earlier parents would take the decision of their children exclusively
as far as their marriages were concerned and the selection of the
boy or the girl would be the responsibility of parents to settle their
children in life. Now things are all changed. Young boys and girls
would like to spend more time with their so-called partners before
taking the decision of getting married. For this they prefer living
together and the percentage of such young couples is increasing
very fast. To understand this big changeover-let us start
understanding the Live in concept which is also called Cohabitation
and its pluses and minuses.
What is the live in relation?
A live-in relationship, also known as cohabitation in some
countries, is one in which two individuals who have been
romantically and sexually connected as partners for a significant
amount of time or permanently, choose to live together without

3. getting married. When they want to spend more time together and
test out living together before tying the knot, many couples choose
to live together.
Yet queried about it, one such individual who was living with his
partner in a similar arrangement prior to marriage responded, “It is
weird that the phrase “Live-in” is used in India when the official and
legal term is Cohabitation.”
According to the Supreme Court, there is no rule that forbids
premarital sex or live-in relationships. The Supreme Court
reportedly made reference to Article 21 of the Indian Constitution,
which establishes the right to life and personal liberty as
fundamental rights, when it stated that “living together is a right to
survive.”
The idea of cohabitating with your partner is becoming more and
more popular with today’s young, even if marriage is a more
traditional and socially acceptable type of partnership between two

4. people. More and more couples are choosing to get to know each
other well before making the commitment.
Are there any advantages of nurturing such a relationship?
When you begin living with someone full-time, you learn about each
other’s tiny quirks and begin determining whether you can coexist
with your partner. You can determine if this is the person and this is
the life you would like after getting married after living with your
partner.
There is a lot of pressure on you to get married from society and
even your family. There are no such roots keeping you down in
live-in relationships. There are no societal pressures as a result.
Without involving each other’s families, you have all the private
space you require.
In a live-in relationship, it is simple to leave your partner if you do
not feel compatible with them sufficiently or even if you learn they

5. are cheating. It’s a much simpler place mentally even if not
emotionally.
Many married couples struggle to agree on how to divide their
finances. Is the male expected to take care of the house alone, or will
they share? However, this issue does not arise when residing there.
You share money evenly and establish financial boundaries because
you owe each other nothing.
A live-in relationship allows you the time to forge a solid connection
and develop a deeper affection for one another, providing you the
opportunity to go forward after your relationship has become more
secure.
The biggest drawback of a live-in relationship is that it lacks
commitment, not the other way around. Human connections are
thought to be fragile and complicated. Couples prefer cohabitation
to meet their diverse demands because of the stress and obligations
that come with marriage.

6. Causative factors responsible for the failure of such a
relationship:
Loss of trust, inadequate communication, lack of respect, a
difference in priorities, and a lack of intimacy are the main causes of
relationship failure.
Initial creation and convenience of such a relationship?
No doubt the initial one is the incidental meeting and then spending
the time together to understand each other. Once they feel the
compatibility with each other they naturally would like to spend
time together for a longer period and that would provide them the
convenience as well as testing phase to try out each other with a sole
aim of getting married in the near future.
How much is the success rate of such relations?
In Mumbai, over 50% of couples between the ages of 22 and 28 live
together. What is more concerning is that 70% of these live-in
couple’s divorce within two years. Similar conditions still exist in
other large cities, particularly in Bangalore and Delhi as far as India
is concerned.

7. Is it legally possible to ban it?
No law authorises or prohibits such relationships. The Supreme
Court declared in Lata Singh v. State of U.P. (2006) that although
live-in relationships are viewed as improper, they are not prohibited
by law.
Does it affect the Psyches of the partners in both good as well
as bad ways?
Numerous studies have demonstrated that people in fulfilling
relationships feel happier, experience fewer health issues, and live
longer. On the other hand, a lack of social connections or
dysfunctional relationships is connected to depression, cognitive
deterioration, and a higher risk of dying before their time.
Parental contribution in getting such relation created.
More often than not, the first people you ever meet in life are your
parents. They set the bar for everything, including the values you
adopt, your interests, and most importantly, the way you interact
with other people (both romantically and platonically).

8. ‘Live in’ in developed countries versus in India?
According to estimates, 40% to 50% of married couples in France
had been living together for at least two years prior to being
married. Many couples have given up on getting married and are
content to live together. Couples who are living together legally will
enjoy the same legal rights as married couples, including social
security.
As the percentage of couples living together has climbed to 17.9%,
or 3.4 million individuals, in the UK, live-in relationship couples are
the fastest-growing family forms.
Live-in relationships are recognised as Common-Law relationships
in Canada. In plain English, a common-law partnership is a union
between two people who have been living together for a period of
time that is legally required for a marriage.
Although there is no legal definition of a live-in relationship in
Indian law and no special statute that grants rights to the parties in
a live-in relationship, live-in relationships are lawful in India. The

9. Supreme Court ruled that although live-in relationships may be
considered immoral in some religious and traditional societies, they
are not prohibited. Marriage is prioritised over live-in relationships
in India.
Is it safe to be in live in- after certain recent episodes of
discord resulting in gruesome crimes?
The recent gruesome incidents naturally raise such questions as far
as the safety and security is concerned. Normally looking to the
awareness and intelligence at the attainment of adulthood one
would not fail to understand the deep psyche of his/her partner but
such a shocking incidence naturally should be a big lesson for
everybody before taking up any such step which is going to be a very
responsible step of settling in one’s life. If there is any atrocity from
the partner towards the girl, she should immediately raise an alarm
and immediately cut off such a relationship without giving any
further chance. Extending such a relationship any further is surely
inviting trouble in the future. I have a very clear-cut concept in such
a case-if the girl is courageous enough to have entered into such a

10. relationship and smells unusual behaviour from her partner later,
she should be equally brave enough to take an immediate step to
terminate such a cohabitation without any further time line given.
This way the further adversities would be avoided very clearly right
in the initial stage itself.
Originally published in
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