In India, marriage has traditionally been considered an unbreakable bond spanning seven lives; However, recent data tells a completely different story. The growing use of dating platforms outside of marriage points to a change in the nature of traditional relationships. Recently, extramarital dating platform Gleeden crossed the four million (4 million) user mark in India—a number that shows that attitudes towards marriage and extramarital relationships are changing.
Increase in the number of female users
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this change is the increase in the number of female users. Although the number of male users on this app is high—at around 65%—the number of female users is 35%. However, in the last two years, the number of female users has increased by a whopping 148%.
These statistics show that women are no longer hesitant in taking bold decisions regarding their happiness. In cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, while women still want stability in relationships with their spouses, they are also not shying away from looking outside the relationship in search of adventure.
Why are distances increasing?
One of the main reasons for this is the lack of personal time—caught between the hustle and bustle of corporate life and family responsibilities—as well as the lack of emotional connection with one’s spouse. In such situations, lack of emotional closeness pushes people towards the digital world. Users often use these apps during work breaks or late at night to add some excitement to their monotonous lives.
Which cities top the list?
India’s metropolitan cities, such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, top the list; However, smaller cities like Lucknow and Surat are also not far behind. One interesting thing is that these apps are used the most in the afternoon—between 12:00 noon and 3:00 a.m.—and late at night, between 10:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
