Planning to move into a live-in relationship? You should know the pros and cons of a live-in relationship before making up your mind. Because that helps you make the right decision.
Before talking about the pros and cons of a live-in relationship, let’s understand what a live-in relationship is.
LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIP:
A live-in relationship, also known by the name cohabitation, simply means when the couple decides to live together without marriage. The main purpose of being in a live-in relationship is to check compatibility and see how their relationship works when they live under one roof and share their responsibilities. If they feel that works well, they may decide to get married. And if not, they break up and move on in life.
Some modern couples stay in a live-in relationship before marriage. Because of families involvement in marital relationships, it gets a little messier if they want to separate or part ways. So, they try a live-in relationship to see if that relationship is going to work for them or not (for a lifetime). That sounds so good and practical, right? But before making up your mind, you should know the pros and cons of a live-in relationship.
Pros and cons of a live-in relationship
To know if moving into a live-in relationship is right for you or not, you should consider both the pros and cons of a live-in relationship. Because it helps you make the right decision.
Let’s check them both, i.e., the pros and cons of a live-in relationship, which are as follows:
PROS OF A LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIP:
Helps check the compatibility
A live-in relationship helps check your compatibility with your partner, i.e., how well you guys stay together, enjoy being together, and get to know each other’s nature as well. Moreover, depending on how well you guys manage the responsibilities of being together, checking your compatibility with your partner makes it easier for you to make the decision of getting married or moving on. So yes! In this context, it wins.
Practical approach
In marriage, there is more involvement of families, responsibilities, and legal actions, and if your relationship doesn’t work, it gets quite difficult to separate. So it sounds quite practical that before getting it legal, you should get to know your partner (or your relationship) well at your level. Because if you feel it works, you can go ahead and get married. And if it doesn’t work, then you can easily part ways and move on. And many couples try to consider this practical approach before getting married. Thereby, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of a live-in relationship.
Helps improve understanding
In a live-in relationship, you start living together 24/7, which means you get to know your partner at a deeper level. Through this relationship, you guys learn about each other’s desires, wishes, and needs. And if your relationship grows based on understanding, it will last longer. So this may work great to build a healthy and successful relationship.
Have full freedom to make your decisions
Even though you are living together as a couple, there is no legal or family pressure. So both of you are free to make your own decisions, such as whether or not you want to be in this relationship, how to manage your finances, how to look for a new job, where to invest money, and many others. There is no restriction or pressure on anything. They enjoy being together but still have their own spaces and lives. So that freedom even makes your bond stronger, as both are equally responsible for managing their own affairs.
No legal issue
There is no legal obligation on a live-in relationship, as you can stay or move on anytime in this relationship as per your wish. And if you want to part ways, you won’t get the stigma of divorce or other legal harassment. A live-in relationship is simply free from legal commitments. This aspect of a live-in relationship makes it more common for couples to give it a try before marriage.
CONS OF A LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIP:
Lack of commitment
As it gets easier for you to move on in a live-in relationship, couples hardly expend too much effort to make it work. Even simple conflicts and disagreements can lead to a breakup. So this lack of commitment can easily break your relationship with your partner. As in the case of marriage, both partners try their level best to make that relationship work for them. But in a live-in relationship, they hardly put in all their effort. This is where a live-in relationship lacks and affects the relationship.
Lack of stability
Marriage gives you stability in life, whereas a live-in relationship lacks this aspect. As there is no restriction in a live-in relationship, there are more chances of dominance, insecurity, and instability in a relationship. And that affects your relationship with your partner and the bond you share in many ways. Sometimes legal commitments are good for making you feel secure and stable about your relationship, like marriage does. But a live-in relationship lacks stability in your relationship.
Society’s judgmental perspective
Many societies, people, and families don’t accept the live-in relationship and criticize this relationship. So you may feel social pressure and criticism if you want to be in a live-in relationship with your partner. And if you get too hurt by your break-up with your partner (in a live-in relationship), you hardly get the support of your family, friends, or society (especially if they are not in favor of a live-in relationship). And such situations can affect your emotional and mental health even more.
Left with no excitement for marriage:
Being in a relationship and then getting married means you still have the excitement of living under one roof, getting to know each other better, making intimacy more exciting, making plans for your future, and having a lot more to discuss. But after staying in a live-in relationship, there is no excitement left for marriage. There is nothing new that marriage brings to your relationship except making it official. So we can say that a live-in relationship lacks excitement for marriage.
This is all about the pros and cons of a live-in relationship, which you should know about. As it’s a matter of your life, just make up your mind after getting to know both aspects of it, i.e., the pros and cons of a live-in relationship. Just make smart decisions to get satisfaction with your relationship and life. Good luck with your every decision!
