Maa No Longer has Stigma: 50 percent mothers in favour of dating apps

Most Indian young adults in the marriageable age have rejected their mother's pleas a million times for marriage aka ‘looking for rishtas’. Countless WhatsApp photos of potential partners and surprise meetings with them and their families coordinated by ‘matchmaker aunty’ are quite common. However, a recent survey among 5,000 young men and women from across the country revealed that 50 percent of mothers of both millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z) are now embracing the winds of change and getting comfortable with their children finding their forever partner on dating apps. The survey was conducted by TrulyMadly to find out the current stigmas associated with dating in India.

Some critical findings:

·         Over 45 percent of respondents expressed that their mothers are more worried about their marriage than their fathers. This is true for both genders.  

·         70 percent female and 80 percent male respondents from Tier 1 and 2 cities indicated their mothers favor love marriage, indicating greater acceptability of choice when it comes to ‘settling down’ at a time when millennial women are pushing back matrimony to focus on education and career.

·          Mothers of Gen Z and millennials have confidence in the use of dating apps to find life partners with 50 percent of respondents indicating so. This is further reflected in less than 20 percent of respondents sharing their mothers are ‘unaware of dating apps’ and only seven percent indicating their mothers don’t favor dating apps.

·         Mothers in non-metros like Jaipur, Indore, and Lucknow are emerging champions of their daughters’ choice with 55 percent of respondents indicating men are pressurized more for marriage.  With more women working in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata, 53 percent said mothers continue to pressurize daughters more.

·         60 percent of respondents feel mothers still prioritize marriage over career and studies for their daughters vs 46 percent who prioritize marriage over career and studies for their sons. 54 percent feel mothers worry more for their son’s career and education.

·         Mothers continue to lace marriage related discussions with the trio of Security, Age, and Society - ‘Hum aaj hai kal nahi rahenge’ (We are there today to take care of you but who will take care after us?), ‘Baad mein koi milega nahi’ (You won’t find anyone as your age!) and ‘Log kya kahenge’ (What will other people think about you and the family if you don’t get married?)

·         Despite mothers evolving with current times, 22 percent of respondents expressed inhibitions in discussing the use of dating apps, indicating apprehensions among the younger generation whether it will be approved of.

Snehil Khanor, Co-founder & CEO, TrulyMadly said, “We went out to understand the stigmas and apprehensions around dating in India, but stumbled upon a completely transformed mindset of not only the younger generation but their parents as well.  I believe a lot of this evolution has come from the persistent efforts in our society to champion women’s rights, reduce gender discrimination, and sensitize against gender stereotyping.  Also, the consumption of far more liberated content through films and social media has helped mothers prioritize compatibility and trust when it comes to supporting their children in finding a life partner.  These findings reflect one thing clearly that mothers who are often assumed to be shackled in age-old societal rules have managed to shake off a lot of it. Given the role mothers play in the matrimony-related decision-making process, it is safe to assume that the younger generation, which did appear to be disenfranchised with the institution of marriage, will consider it more actively in the coming years. We are elated to have been a part of this journey by building a safe, trustworthy, and engaging dating platform that facilitates and cements serious human relationships through continuous technology innovation.”

As India’s most loved dating app, which helps users find their forever, TrulyMadly has been at the forefront of enabling millennials and younger generations on different subjects, including choice-based decision-making, matrimony, and relationship-related issues among others.

TrulyMadly fills the gap between casual dating apps and matrimony websites, for the millennials looking for something serious, by themselves, and for themselves.