Adults nowadays are becoming smarter than ever! Not to our surprise, they prefer having a bond with their partners where there is no documented punch or restrictions.
"BESHARMI & SANSKAARO KA ULANGHAN IN INDIA" - this is how live-in relationships are perceived by Indian households. Let's throw some bright light in the dark minds of people below.
What is a live-in relationship?
Space or a relationship where two people live together like a married couple without getting married. To test compatibility and to know each other better, people opt for live-ins before getting married to each other.
Mumbai, India has 50% of the couples staying in live-in relationships. As per stats, within 2 years, 70% breakups are faced by them.
Live-in relationships: Inshorts Poll Results
About 80% of the millennials sanction live-in relationships before marriage. Via an app named 'Inshorts,' there was a survey conducted in 2018, where generation y people belonging to different caste, religions, backgrounds, and families were asked to take a poll on their opinion on preference about the live-in relationships.
Survey highlights -
- Survey encountered almost 1.4 lakhs opinions from folks.
- As per 'News 18,' 80% of these people fall under the age group of 18 to 35 years.
- About 47% of them, preferred marriage partners rather than live-in partners.
- 80% believed that live-in relationships are best for lifelong and healthy relationships.
- Out of those 80% folks, who showed their favor for live-in relations -
- 26% of them believed that having live-in relationships for a lifetime would be a great idea.
- The remaining 54% of folks wished to get married sometime in the future with their live-in partners if things go well between them.
- 45% of the folks believed that live-in relationships are meant for checking in the compatibility factor before they engage themselves in the knots of marriage.
- 86% of them revealed that lust is not the single factor that makes a couple get into a live-in relationship.
- As per the co-founder and CEO of Inshorts namely Azhar Iqubal, "Even after getting the legal allowance and permission from the court on live-in relations, most of the Indian folks still consider it as a matter of dishonor and harassment in India."
Myths about the live-in relationship in India -
Myth 1 - Freedom of Sexual Intercourse
Folks have this norm that a live-in relationship is only meant to get sexually involved with their partners whenever they feel like in the course of 24*7 which is completely untrue. Getting themselves involved in the physical intimation is a matter of choice and this two would have tons of other priorities as well. Labeling it with the tag of "Sexual Relationship" is for sure betrays the original purpose of these live-in relations.
Myth 2 - Live-In Relationships means "Just Living Together"
Many get mistaken by the fact that - 'People living together with the motive of using each other via mutual understanding to fulfill their physical and financial needs or People living together with the motive of compulsory professional demands or without any romantic or sexual intercourse motive is LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIP for them.'
However, this understanding is completely false. These people share mutual love, stay together, share a good bond and try to understand each other more and more and rest leave on the fate to get officially married. They however can get physical or might not be based on the mutual understanding of the partners staying in a live-in relation.
Myth 3 - No Domestic Violence
People generally have this norm that - No physical abuse, divorce, or violence can take place if you are staying in a live-in, unlike married couples. However, it's true to no extent! Like other married couples, live-in couples too had been the victims of sexual & physical abuse, beaten up, violence, harassment, and what not? It completely depends on the person how they treat others.
Also, there have been laws for live-in couple if they face violence during the interim of their relationship. The Indian Penal Code consists of the Section 2 (f) for Domestic Violence Act which works in favor of the married couples and live-in relationship couples facing troubles.
Myth 4 - No Pregnancies and Baby Birth -
As per the Supreme court order after 2010, couples staying for a long time in live-in relationships will be fully considered as married couples. Therefore, they are free to have children without any obligations. So, after childbirth even if one of the parents wants to separate from the another shall possess whole rights in his or her favor with no criminal case filing on it.
Myth 5 - Live-In Relationships are Illegal
I would call it a myth that has continued for years in India! Very few literature metropolitan tier 1 and tier 2 cities literate people have this awareness that after 2010, the live-in relationships were legalized in India via hight court and the supreme court of India. It's been more than 10 years to date - 'Still Indians view it as a matter of shame to adopt the foreign culture of live-in together.' The major explanation behind this mindset is illiteracy and the lack of rights an individual possesses. According to rural individuals, 98% of them believe that a man and women or even the same gender people (sexually attracted), can stay together only with a tag of so-called "INDIAN MARRIAGE."
Myth 6 - Mandatory Marriage after completing Live-In Relationships period
Individuals have the mentality that after a small period of live-in relationship, they must get tied on a knot of marriage. They think it's an initial way that will compulsorily lead to marriage. Well, 'People are mistaken beyond words could explain.' The motive behind live-in relations was to check your compatibility with your partner, or whether you both can sustain in the long term or not. You both have 100% rights to call off the relationship if you anytime feel the urge to end it due to numerous unexplainable reasons. There was never a bond sign of 'getting married for sure' before entering into a live-in relation.
Is a Live-in relationship legal in India?
Take yourself 20 years back from today - Do you remember any such thing as live-in relationships in India? I surely not! Indian society gave live-in relationships a new definition - "Nothing less than abusing relationships & disrespecting it!" Well...well... a few years back - in 2010 - it has been legalized in India and has come out of a "Criminal Offence Zone," by our Indian judiciary system!
But unfortunately, it's still to have acceptance in the minds of Indian people. If you ask Indian Aunties and Uncles dwelling in rural areas, they are still to get proper education on this subject and till then they will always be in a denial mode and against the live-in relationship.
Are there any laws concerning Live-In Relationships?
Domestic Violence Act, 2005
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973
Evidence Act, 1872
The status of live-in relationships in foreign is 80 times better than in India. People enjoy their own space without any judgment and society torture. Well, even after being legalized, in India it will take years to accept this notion.
References -
https://www.boldsky.com/amphtml/relationship/love-and-romance/myths-and-facts-about-live-in-relationship-131216.html
https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/indian-live-relationships-inshorts-survey/amp/
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-statistics-of-live-in-relationships-in-India