In a country like India, tell your parents or relatives that you are in a live-in relationship and the reaction you will get is ‘haye, tauba tauba’. The concept of live-in relationships is a scandalous one, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Despite how far the world has come, most Indian parents are unlikely to fully accept live-in relationships. But if you are wondering how you can sell the concept to your desi parents, here are the advantages of live-in relationships.

1. It’s a test of compatibility

Marriage is serious business, and if you find out you are incompatible after you get married, life’s gonna be tough. So, a live-in relationship is a good way to test your compatibility. Once you start living together, you’ll find out each other’s big and small habits, how your partner deals with different challenges, what their daily routine looks like, and a lot more. While people put their best foot forward on dates, when you are living together, it’s tough to keep up a façade. So, one of the biggest advantages of a live-in relationship is that you can see your partner for who they truly are.

2. A peek into life after marriage

When you start living together, it is a peek into what your life will be like after you get married. How will the chores be divided? How will you take care of each other when an annoying cold or a serious medical emergency comes knocking? These are just a few of the many things you need to deal with after marriage. With a live-in relationship, you get to test it all out. And if at any point you feel like things aren’t going well, you don’t have to deal with the headache of a divorce. Yes, emotionally, it’ll be just as draining, but you are likely to keep your sanity and finances intact.

3. You can set financial boundaries

In many marriages, especially arranged marriages, couples struggle with figuring out how to divide finances. In a live-in relationship, you don’t face that problem. One of the advantages of a live-in relationship is that you can draw boundaries when it comes to your finances. You and your partner can decide who will pay for what and how the finances will be divided to deal with household expenses. The two of you will continue to have autonomy over your personal finances while having a different setup for shared expenses like bills and utilities. Just like flatmates.

4. No unwanted family pressures

If you are part of a desi family, you know that as soon as you are married, you’ll start getting bombarded with questions like ‘khush khabri kab sunaoge?’ Indian parents go from marriage to kids in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, in a live-in, there won’t be any pressure to have a kid ASAP. There won’t be any pressure on you or your parents to buy a ton of gifts for your partner’s family for any festivals and special occasions either. So, you’ll have all the space you need with your partner without your respective families breathing down your necks.

5. The legalities of a divorce can get really complicated

Say what you may, but marriages come with complicated legalities, and divorces even more so. When you get divorced, there is not just a stigma associated with it, but also procedures like alimony and financial support. While with a live-in relationship, you don’t have to worry about the legalities, unless you are in Uttarakhand, that is. The Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Bill has recently proposed that all live-in partners need to declare their relationship or face fines and imprisonment. Residents of Uttarakhand need to register themselves if they are live-in partners and the “termination” of registered live-in relationships requires a written statement. So far, it is just a bill and not a law. So, we still have a ways to go before disclosing live-in relationships becomes mandatory.

6. A better understanding of each other

Being in a live-in relationship allows you to get a deeper understanding of each other without the pressure of making it work. There is more to a relationship than just sparks flying, so if you are in a relationship solely because you see sparks and nothing else, it’s soon going to crumble. A live-in relationship allows you to understand each other’s values and principles better and strengthen your bond as you grow fond of each other’s company.

Featured Image Source

Related: Is It The End Of Your Relationship? 9 Signs You Are Falling Out of Love With Your Partner