LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP—PROS AND CONS

Live-in relation i.e. cohabitation is an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married.

It is a kind of relationship in which a couple lives together without marrying each other and without any legal or social commitment.

This arrangement is similar to marriage when it comes to the relationship between two individuals living together but there are no rights and obligations on either of the partners

  

Pros of Live in relationship over marriage

• Freedom: This is the prime benefit of Live in relationship. In this, any of partners neither has to accept any obligations nor has to give up any rights. There is no commitment like marriage; relationship lasts longer if both of them are happy with each other. Live-in relationship offers personal freedom to partners compared to Marriage.
• Responsibility: There is a very less load of responsibility as compared to marriage. Married people have to manage all the responsibility of family while cohabiters have only their own responsibility.
• Easy to break-up: It takes a lot of effort and  money: to dissolve a marriage because it is a very strict and unassailable arrangement. Partners have to equally divide debt and family assets, to pay Lawyers and to make arrangements with respect to the children. But cohabiters can break their relation easily.
• Rehearsal for a married life: Live-in is the perfect rehearsal of a married life. Partners know each other’s common interests and views on money, sex, religion, and politics.
• Easy to change the partner:  If partners could not satisfy or get bored seeing the same face every morning, then they can pack their bags any day and move out without doing any legal procedure.
• No legal hassle: There are absolutely no financial complications, complex negotiations or legal hassle like marriages. The arrangements are similar to a dream come true, like have physical relations, live together, and move out when getting bored.

Cons of Live-in Relationships

• In simple words a live-in relationship leaves nothing to be discovered by the couple post marriage. Routine already sets in between live-in relations and there is anxiety or expectancy left for to be realised after marriage.
• Because there are no specific laws to deal with the intricacies of live-in relationships in most countries, the incidence of major problems in these cases are on the rise. Many people are duped of their assets in live-in relationships. Cases of verbal and physical abuse are also quite rampant in live-in relationship despite the fact that live-in relations are considered more ‘modern’.
• A potent disadvantage of live-in relationship is social censure. Because these relationships have not yet been awarded the stamp of social acceptance, they are looked at with scorn. Many couple in live-in relationships prefer to call themselves married fearing rejection. This primarily causes problems in relationships.
• It is very difficult to move into another relationship after a live-in relationship. Live-in relationships require a lot of time, energy and devotion. The most important fact is that in a live-in relationship two people decide to share their lives. And if such a relationship comes to an end it takes a toll on the mental health of people.

Pros of marriage over Live in relationship

• Legal and Social recognition: It is the main benefit of marriage. Marriage is sheltered by the law and the society respects the relationship. While in Live in relationship, partners can not get this benefit and they don’t have their clearly defined obligations and rights. It is not fragile like live-in and can not dissolve at any point.
• Emotional support and commitment: Married people give devotion and fidelity to their partners and they can share all their secrets with each other and also share their savings to buy possessions for the family. Live in relationships can not match the legal rights, social recognition and emotional support that provided by a marriage.
• Unconditional sacrament: In Marriage, Husband and wife are compliant to each other and they prepare to die for each other so the depth of love is supreme. While Live in relationship is conditional compared to marriage.
• Children’s development: If parents are cohabiting, then children’s emotional development is poorer compared to married ones. This is literally due to the high risk of parent’s break up. If they break up, the situation becomes complex with respect to their responsibility and custody of children.
• Physical and sexual abuse: According to some estimates, aggression is at least two times more common among cohabiters then married, so cohabited women have to suffer more from physical and sexual abuse than married women.
• Relationship with parents: Live in relationships may affect relations with parents. All parents give more support to marriage than the cohabitation. Many Cohabiters loose the support of their parents and family because some families consider that it is morally wrong.
• Economic equality: Married couples are better in case of economic equality while cohabiters always try to protect their financial futures with separate bank accounts, personnel properties etc.