Live-in Relationships in Urban India: "Not a Social Stigma Anymore", SweetRing Survey

NEW DELHI, Sept. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's been two years since the Supreme Court of India ruled that a live-in relationship in India is "an acceptable norm" and live-in partners can be given equal rights as those to a legally married couple. Since then, live-in relationships have become more acceptable and prevalent. SweetRing, a popular dating app carried out a survey asking its users about their views on live-in relationships. It was observed from the survey that 68% of people surveyed wouldn't mind having a live-in relationship with their partners before getting married. Moreover, 64% think that a couple should move in together within the first 6 months of dating. This change can be attributed to youngsters in India moving out of their houses and living alone in new cities for better work opportunities and lifestyle.

The in-app survey was conducted over 3,500 respondents across 5 major cities in India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gujarat, and Chandigarh). Results show that there isn't much difference between the outlook of male and female users, 70% of male and 65% of female respondents agree that it is important to move-in together before getting married. 75% the users believe moving in together would allow them to understand each other's lifestyle and habits better. The aspect on which men and women had a different outlook was regarding the living expenses. While 64% men think that they should spend more, a whopping 71% of women believe in sharing the expenses equally.

Survey results also hint that people in live-in relationships still face apprehensions, related to the fear of how the society would judge their relationship. When users were asked how would they react if their friend is in a live-in relationship; 58% responded that they would be neutral as it's a personal matter. This shows that even though respondents have a fear of being judged, they still respect the personal space of others.

Above results clearly indicate that while more and more people want to have a live-in relationship in order to understand their partners better and strengthen their relationship; the concern of the societal pressure makes them question their decision. It can be inferred that if people, especially families and elders of the house express an acceptance towards live-in relationships; more couples would choose to be in one before getting married.