Live in Relationship

 JEMTEC SCHOOL OF LAW LAW

Survey Report

At DELHI UNIVERSITY (Faculty of Law) Sub!tte" #y

$ Ra%ul &%opra

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INTR2DU&TI2N

The expression ‘live-in-relationship’ in its ordinary sense to mean that two people living together  without intending to establish any kind of permanent relationship between them. This kind of  relationship has emerged primarily out of convenience. Partners in such kind of relationship initially lack the commitment with each other. The main element that works in such relationship is ‘compatibility’ between such partners. Due to moderniation and city culture! we are observing this kind relationship in few parts of "ndian society. Different kind of persons may be involved in such relations. #nmarried man and unmarried woman or married man and unmarried woman or  unmarried man and married woman or persons of same sex may live together.

T%e &ocept of L!ve3I3Relat!o1%!p $ive- in-relationships are not new for western countries. %ome tried to define live-in-relationship  by observing that it is an arrangement of living under which the couples who are unmarried live together to conduct a long-going relationship similarly as in marriage. The main idea! according to some! of cohabiting or conducting a live-in-relationship is that the interested couple wanted to test their compatibility for each other before going for some commitment. $ive-in-relationship is a de facto union in which couple shares common bed-room without solemniing marriage. "t is non-marital relationship prevailing in &est with the different name like! common law marriages! informal marriages or marriage by habit! deemed marriages etc. "t is a form of interpersonal status which is legally recognied in some 'urisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognied marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage contract is entered into or the marriage registered in a civil registry. %ome bold couples believe that going for a wedding is 'ust a waste of money! because they think  their love doesn’t need any paper certification or social drama. (ccording to )sho! in their true nature of all human beings are polygamy! marriage makes them monogamy which is against its nature. %o that’s the reason after marriage too people keep relation outside wedlock. &e can infer  from analying the relationships that it is evident that live-in couples are still largely from

 professions like entertainment! advertising! modeling and media. (ccording to %amindara %awant! clinical psychologist! Disha *ounselling *linic 4 +umbai has found that the trend of  live-in-relationships has not really caught on in "ndia! especially in the middle and upper middle classes! where marriage is still very much the norm. $ive-in-relationships are practiced mostly in the metropolitan cities. %uch practice is still a social taboo in a ma'or part of our country which is constituted by villages and towns. (ccording to a view the live-in-relationships are earlier in existence in the form of ‘maitraya karars’ which has been practiced in some parts of ,u'arat. There is a gradual transition from the sacrament of arranged marriages to love marriages and ultimately to live-in relationships! due to many reasons like lack of tolerance and commitment.

0ETH2D2L25Y ( field of applied statistics! survey methodology studies the sampling of individual units from a population and the associated survey data collection techniues! such as uestionnaire construction and methods for improving the number and accuracy of responses to surveys. %tatistical surveys are undertaken with a view towards making statistical inferences about the  population being studied! and this depends strongly on the survey uestions used. Polls about public opinion! public health surveys! market research surveys! government surveys and censuses are all examples of uantitative research that use contemporary survey methodology to answer uestions about a population. (lthough censuses do not include a sample! they do include other aspects of survey methodology! like uestionnaires! interviewers! and non response follow-up techniues. %urveys provide important information for  all kinds of public information and research fields! e.g.! marketing research! psychology! health  professionals and sociology.

TY6ES 2F SURVEY 0ETH2DS There are various types of surveys you can choose from. /asically! the types of surveys are  broadly categoried into two0 according to instrumentation and according to the span of time involved. The types of surveys according to instrumentation include the uestionnaire and the interview. )n the other hand! the types of surveys according to the span of time used to conduct

the survey are comprised of cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal surveys.

According to Instrumentation "n survey research! the instruments that are utilied can b e either a uestionnaire or an interview 1either structured or unstructured2. 3. 7ue1t!oa!re1 Typically! a uestionnaire is a paper-and-pencil instrument that is administered to the respondents. The usual uestions found in uestionnaires are closed-ended uestions! which are followed by response options. 4owever! there are uestionnaires that ask open-ended uestions to explore the answers of the respondents. 5uestionnaires have been developed over the years. Today! uestionnaires are utilied in various survey methods! according to how they are given. These methods include the selfadministered! the group-administered! and the household drop-off. (mong the three! the selfadministered survey method is often used by researchers nowadays. The self-administered uestionnaires are widely known as the mail survey method. 4owever! since the response rates related to mail surveys had gone low! uestionnaires are now commonly administered online! as in the form of web surveys. •

A"vata8e1 0 "deal for asking closed-ended uestions6 effective for market or consumer

research •

D!1a"vata8e1 0 $imit the researcher’s understanding of the respondent’s answers6

reuires budget for reproduction of survey uestionnaires. •

7. Iterv!ew1 /etween the two broad types of surveys! interviews are more personal and probing. 5uestionnaires do not provide the freedom to ask follow-up uestions to explore the answers of the respondents! but interviews do.

(n interview includes two persons - the researcher as the interviewer! and therespondent as the interviewee. There are several survey methods that utilie interviews. These are the personal or face-to-face interview! the phone interview! and more recently! the online interview. •

A"vata8e1 0 8ollow-up uestions can be asked6 provide better understanding of the

answers of the respondents •

D!1a"vata8e1 0 Time-consuming6 many target respondents have no public-listed phone

numbers or no telephones at all

Accor"!8 to t%e Spa of T!e Ivolve" The span of time needed to complete the survey brings us to the two different types of surveys0 cross-sectional and longitudinal.

3. &ro113Sect!oal Survey1 *ollecting information from the respondents at a single period in time u ses the cross-sectional type of survey. *ross-sectional surveys usually utilie uestionnaires to ask about a particular topic at one point in time. 8or instance! a researcher conducted a cross-sectional survey asking teenagers’ views on cigarette smoking as of +ay 7939. %ometimes! cross-sectional surveys are used to identify the relationship between two variables! as in a comparative study. (n example of this is administering a cross-sectional survey about the relationship of peer pressure and cigarette smoking among teenagers as of +ay 7939.

7. Lo8!tu"!al Survey1 &hen the researcher attempts to gather information over a period of time or from one point in time up to another! he is doing a longitudinal survey. The aim of longitudinal surveys is to collect data and examine the changes in the data gathered. $ongitudinal surveys are used in cohort studies! panel studies and trend studies.

&2N&LUSI2N $ive-in relationships in "ndia have still not received the consent of the ma'ority of people. They are still considered a taboo to the "ndian society. The ma'ority of the people consider it as an immoral and an improper relationship. (t present there is no specific legislation that deals with concept of live in relationship and the rights of the parties and the children of the live in  partners. "t was a very unambiguous concept until the %upreme *ourt of "ndia took the initiative and declared that live in relationship though considered immoral but it is not illegal.

Through its various decisions the 'udiciary has tried to accord legality to the concept and protect the rights of the parties and the children of live in couples. /ut at present there is a need to formulate a law that would clarify the concept. There should be clear provisions with regard to the time span reuired to give status to the relationship! registration and rights of parties and children born out of it. The utmost need of the hour is to secure the future of the children born to live in couples. The steps taken by the 'udiciary are indeed welcoming and pragmatic in approach. Though the live in relations provide the individuals individual freedom but due to the insecurity it carries it with! there needs to be a law to curtail its disadvantages.