Impact of Last Name Portability In India (When Spouses Can Be Legally Changed After 90 Days While Still Retaining Same Last Name)

I was discussing with a friend what would happen if this LNP (Last Name Portability) came into vogue and it was legal. LNP is the fictitious option invented by me to legally change your relationship partner if you don't like him (or her) after a minimum time period has elapsed. It is the option to have a no questions asked divorce after 90 days have elapsed. Assume first that there are no children involved. Just like you can change your mobile service operator after 90 days - no questions asked while still retaining your number.

Imagine you been married for some time. Things aren't too good, either for you or your spouse. So you start exploring while you are married and when you find another partner who you think is good. You wait until 90 days are over (let's assume that is the minimum time before you can change partner) and then you inform the partner and leave. Either of the partner will leave (who leaves is something that needs to be decided).

Now you are on to a new relationship. You would find things are ok initially and then they start deteriorating. Perhaps both partners feel that this relationship is also not ok. 

You move on to the third relationship. 

When it comes to the third you will be much more careful. You don't like this business of moving every 90 days. It sounds stupid.

Obviously you would be careful to avoid pregnancy until you have spent 3 years (say) with your partner. There are too many issues to tackle when there are children. You would want to be sure before having a kid.

So this time you would hesitate, wait and try to figure out what went wrong. What are others doing? How are they doing? 

Everyone wants to settle with ONE partner for a LONG time.. PEOPLE ARE NOT interested in changing every 90 days just because there is an option available.

So after one or two juvenile mistakes people will be more cautious. It's similar to how it is with MNP (Mobile Number Portability). Do we keep changing telephone operators? Don't we find out which new operator is good? Or if we think everyone is equally bad, don't we hang on to the incumbent? Only 3% of customers have used LNP in one year as per data I read recently (http://www.mnp-india.com/.)

With LNP, most people would probably go through 2 or 3 or maximum 4 relationships before they apply the brakes and do some serious introspection. People would not be indiscriminately promiscuous or have relationships indiscriminately one after another. Better sense would prevail. 

You will start evaluating new partners in new ways. You will look at how many partners he/she has had. If there were too many that itself would be an issue. Just like companies we wont recruit people who change jobs too often. You may start asking for references from previous partners or get feedback from previous partners. Like in ebay you may give and get positive / negative rating after each relationship.

Having the choice of change (of phone or partner) after 90 days doesn't mean things automatically become better. You still have to be sensible.  And you will become sensible. People DO NOT want to keep changing partners for the heck of it. MEN ALSO WONT like it.

So how would things essentially change compared to now?

People will have had couple more partners than now. They are likely to be happier than now because they have an option to leave a poor relationship and find themselves a more suitable partner. And have kids later in life.

What about assets acquired? There will be prenuptial contracts (formal or just oral). When couples split, they may value the assets and split in the proportion of their contribution. 

LNP would make no sense to partners who don't work (or earn) because they could be left high and dry. Women would find jobs. They would become equal or almost equal to men. There would be less consideration or protection to women because of their gender. The current practice of one person (men) earning and the other taking care of home will become less practical. That worked fine when the marriage was until "death do them part". Losers, men and women who aren't fit to be in a relationship or those who do not make good partners, will move into oblivion. The unfit won't survive.

Parents would have less part to play in the marriage either before or after marriage. Parents (in case of arranged marriages) played an active part in choosing the bride or groom. But if LNP is going to happen to more often, they would not be involved in the process of choosing a partner for their children. The death knell would sound on the old Tamil saying "Aayaram poi cholliyum oru kalyanam pannalaam" (Even 1000 lies can be told in order to conduct a marriage).

Guruji mentioned that marriage expenses would fall. Instead of having one big fat Greek wedding, people may have a few petite weddings. And the groom's side would be expected to contribute equally to the expenses. One would not invest too much on a very risky or a short lived venture.

And guess what? Men would have to learn house work. Guys who are unfamiliar with the kitchen won't make the cut. They would end up with poor ratings or without a partner and then will have no choice but to learn to do household chores. Ain't this nice?

Until LNP becomes a reality in India, women currently have to choose dubious last names such as Rani, Devi, Kumari etc in order to to not anyone know who their current spouse is. With LNP, women can remain a Shah even if their current spouse's last name is Naseeruddin. Men don't have this problem. They don't change their last name just because they have changed their spouse. 

Jesus Christ, what is this? http://www.timescrest.com/society/another-name-for-rape-6767

Additional reading: This is lovely reading.