Global legal perspective of live-in relationships
Sociology- I
Essay on
‘The Global Perspective of the Legal Aspects of Live-in Relationships’
Submitted By Nipasha Mahanta,
B.A L.LB (Hons.), First Year, Section-A
Student’s ID- 213140
Introduction
Our country, India, has sour perceptions to the concept of live-in relationships. Some consider it as being synonymous to ‘taking a car for a test drive’ while others consider it to be a ‘trial and error method’. It has also been contended that such relationships have opened a number of exploitable zones. ‘The escapist policy’ from the formalities which come with marriage, the fear of commitment, the fright to get stuck in the ‘wrong’ relationship, the disregarding of formal ‘ documenting’ of union and number of such stigmas get attached to the ones who try to break free off the conventional norm of marriage and delve into the emerging phenomenon of live-in relationship. Still, one can very well point out the loopholes refuting such reasoning. What will be the extent of continuing such trial and error methods, whether such a set-up is detrimental only to the female’s image, does it make her more vulnerable rather than providing her any safe-guard, what will be the fate of children born out of such unions, what are the legalities in case of Property Rights, Maintenance Right, Succession Rights of the partners following separation in such unions qualify to be the burning questions while discussing the pros and cons of this emerging trend of live-in relationships. The way India perceives is defined by the cultural norms prevalent in the society. However, the way live-in relationships are perceived in countries outside that of ours is quite varied.
Though the yardstick for a living arrangement to qualify as a live-in relationship is more or less the same yet the supplementary consequences of the same vary from one place to another.
‘A living arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a long-term relationship that
Essay on
‘The Global Perspective of the Legal Aspects of Live-in Relationships’
Submitted By Nipasha Mahanta,
B.A L.LB (Hons.), First Year, Section-A
Student’s ID- 213140
Introduction
Our country, India, has sour perceptions to the concept of live-in relationships. Some consider it as being synonymous to ‘taking a car for a test drive’ while others consider it to be a ‘trial and error method’. It has also been contended that such relationships have opened a number of exploitable zones. ‘The escapist policy’ from the formalities which come with marriage, the fear of commitment, the fright to get stuck in the ‘wrong’ relationship, the disregarding of formal ‘ documenting’ of union and number of such stigmas get attached to the ones who try to break free off the conventional norm of marriage and delve into the emerging phenomenon of live-in relationship. Still, one can very well point out the loopholes refuting such reasoning. What will be the extent of continuing such trial and error methods, whether such a set-up is detrimental only to the female’s image, does it make her more vulnerable rather than providing her any safe-guard, what will be the fate of children born out of such unions, what are the legalities in case of Property Rights, Maintenance Right, Succession Rights of the partners following separation in such unions qualify to be the burning questions while discussing the pros and cons of this emerging trend of live-in relationships. The way India perceives is defined by the cultural norms prevalent in the society. However, the way live-in relationships are perceived in countries outside that of ours is quite varied.
Though the yardstick for a living arrangement to qualify as a live-in relationship is more or less the same yet the supplementary consequences of the same vary from one place to another.
‘A living arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a long-term relationship that
Bibliography: Farlex, The Free Dictionary, 27th September, 2013 available at http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Live-in+relationship, last visited on 27th September,2013. Bhumika Sharma, Live-in-Relationships: The Indian Perspective, The India Law Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 2(2007) The Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882 , available at http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h734.html, last visited on 27th September, 2013. Cohabitation Law and Legal Definition, available at http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/cohabitation/ last visited on 27th September, 2013. Dataset,European Commission, available at http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/dataset?p_product_code=TPS00018,last visited on 27th September, 2013. Kaplan, Amit, The roads of freedom: cohabitation patterns in Israel, M. A. Thesis, Tel-Aviv University (in Hebrew), 2002 Commentary on [Quran, 23:1], Vol Marcantonio Caltabiano and Maria Castiglioni, Changing Family Formation in Nepal,International Family Planning Perspectives, Vol.34, No.1 (2008) Taj ul-Islam Hashmi ,Women and Islam in Bangladesh, Pg