In India, marriage has been considered an unbreakable bond of seven births for centuries, but recent data is challenging this notion. The increasing prevalence of dating platforms outside marriage is indicating a change in traditional relationships. Recently, dating app Gleeden has crossed the 40 lakh (4 million) users mark in India, which shows that people’s attitude towards marriage and relationships outside marriage is changing.
An important aspect of this change is the increase in the number of female users. While the number of male users on this app is around 65%, the number of female users is 35%. In the last two years, the number of female users has increased by a significant 148%.
These figures show that women are no longer hesitant in taking bold decisions for their happiness. In cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, while women seek stability with their spouses, they are also looking outside relationships in search of adventure.
One of the main reasons is lack of personal time—to balance the busyness of corporate life and family responsibilities. Along with this, lack of emotional connection with the spouse is also an important factor. In such circumstances, lack of emotional closeness attracts people towards digital platforms. Users often use these apps during work breaks or late at night, to add some thrill to their monotonous routine.
India’s major cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad top the list, but smaller cities like Lucknow and Surat are not far behind. Interestingly, the usage of these apps is highest between 12:00 noon to 3:00 am and between 10:00 pm to 12:00 am.
