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Cohabitation Before Marriage

Omkar Phatak
Nowadays, cohabitation before marriage is something which many couples opt for, as a sort of test run for married life. Let's see the pros and cons of opting for a live-in relationship.
If you are facing a dilemma about whether a live-in relationship before marriage is a good idea, then it's worth discussing the pros and cons before going ahead. A little more thinking will never hurt.
A relationship passes through various stages, finally culminating into marriage, for many. Some prefer a live-in relationship, that is a relationship with no strings attached, as in a marriage.
Whether you go for a live-in or a marriage, according to me, compatibility issues are the same in both cases. Living together before marriage is a phase that many couples decide to go through before actually plunging into married life.
For many, this decision is made out of convenience and for many, it is something of a trial run before marriage. Opinions about it are divided. However, people who have never really gone through this experience before marriage, can only give an opinion which is theoretical in nature, rather than practical experience. It's entirely your decision.

Pros

Being in a relationship, in the initial phase, both people wonder, what living together with the other person will be like. Being with a person all the time or dating him or her, and living with the person, are two very different things.
So the best thing about living together before marriage is that you know what the other person is really like. His or her true nature will be revealed to you. You will get to know the realities of living together and the hard questions it poses.
You will know, how good your partner is at sharing responsibilities and how enthusiastic he or she is about making this thing work.
The couple will get to know each other's idiosyncrasies, insecurities, plus and minus points, in more detail. This experience will either strengthen and affirm your decision to marry or force you to rethink. Either way, it's good to have this preview before taking the wedding vows.
It can solve a lot of practical problems. The couple can save on rent and conveyance costs if they live together. If there is understanding between you and your partner, things will definitely work out.

Cons

The major con is that it may kill the excitement of getting married. Marriage may seem like a mere formality after that. Statistics show that couples who go through cohabitation before marriage, are more prone to divorce.
However, statistics can be misleading as there may be a variety of reasons for a couple reaching a divorce decision.
Society frowns upon people living together without marriage. The extent to which this fact bothers you is directly proportional to how much you care about what the society thinks. Whether you live together after or before marriage, problems are always going to be there in both cases.
To sum it all up, statistics and opinions are out there, but what you feel is right, you should go for it, as it's your life after all. What matters ultimately, is how much you understand and care for each other.
If there is tolerance about each other's shortcomings and respect for each other, along with that important ingredient called unconditional love, you will have a great relationship for sure.