LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP: SOCIAL EVIL OR NEW WAY OF LIFE? MEASURING POST GRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VADODARA CITY

Live-In Relationship is a “living arrangement in which an unmarried couple lives together in a long-term relationship that resembles a marriage”. Couples cohabit, rather than marry, for a variety of reasons. They may want to test their compatibility before they commit to a legal union. They may want to maintain their single status for financial reasons. In some cases, such as those involving gay or lesbian couples, or individuals already married to another person, the law does not allow them to marry. In other cases, the partners may feel that marriage is unnecessary. The concept of live-in-relationship is not new in India. In ancient time it was known as "maitri- karar" (friendship agreement) in which a written agreement was made between the people of two opposite sex that they would live together as friends and look after each other. The term live-in-relationship is defined neither in dictionary nor in law [1]. Live-inrelationship means a woman living with a man as husband and wife for a reasonable period, without marrying him. In the words of an American Anthropologist "living together at least five days a week for at least three months, not legally or religiously married, yet sexually intimate, with or without the goal of marriage in the future." These relationships are called and stigmatized as socially ambiguous and sexually exploitative relationships. Indian social and cultural norm does not allow and acknowledge this kind of relationship and hence it is not made legal by the honorable court of law but the modernization and globalization leads to popularize and follows this concepts across the country. This paper makes an attempt to examine and evaluate the views and perception of college students regarding the concepts of live in relationship.