An eternal togetherness, unwavering loyalty, growing old together, standing strong through ups and downs and many other wedding vows which unite two souls in a lifetime institution of marriage. But is it true? Do we keep all such promises happily and not as an obligation? Does ‘happily ever after’ sounds good only in books or fairy tales?
Perhaps, yes.
After a certain point of time that spurt of love and romance turns monotonous. And this is when we step into the reality of a relationship which is completely different from the fantasy. Here blooms the existence of an extra-marital affair that brings back the fun in life and makes you feel special and compassionate once again.
This is a relationship outside your marriage while maintaining the balance of your own married life as well. But, But, But, an extra-marital affair has always been lying under the society lens because our conservative society does not accept deviation from the trajectory of standard norms and impractical values that only builds utopic happiness which does not have relevance in real life.
In millennial society, marital vows rarely make sense and practicality is more significant. Today, relationships are as fragile as a glass which if not managed with care and transparency could break and shatter apart anytime. A lot of options at the social media platforms, corporate places, online dating portal, and apps are somewhere challenging the roots of marriage traditions and norms.
Many pieces of research have been conducted in India to know how Indian society is perceiving the idea of an extra-marital affair and how is it adopting this nuance. The reports revealed that most Indians are open to having an extramarital affair but are not open to accepting it in front of the society. By the end of 2017, Gleeden, an extra marital affair site, had approximately 1.2 lakh Indian users which have drastically increased to 6 lakh users in the age group of 34 – 49 years. The site has witnessed a tremendous growth in Indian users which counts to more than 400 percent.
There various factors giving a significant growth to the adoption of extramarital relationship amongst Indian couples, a few are mentioned here: Physical violence and mental torture, ignorance, lack of intimacy and feelings, unsatisfactory sexual relationship and much more to which the flexibility and availability of external options have added fuel via dating apps. Apps like the above mentioned Gleeden connects people across the globe, allowing them to interact and get in touch with their suitable match to break the monotony in life by inducing a tang of fun and excitement all over again.
Here are some interesting facts revealing the indulgence of Indians into infidelity which also suggests that Indians are inclining towards the idea of the extramarital affair not always to unknot their marriages but for various other reasons like strengthening their married life or just to have a break.
- According to a recent survey conducted among Gleeden’s users, 77% of women in India get into adultery because they are frustrated due to a colourless married life.
- Amendments in the legislature, permitting same-sex extramarital relationship addressed to the suppressed feeling of many differently sexual oriented people who are bisexual or homosexual. They are leveraging the abolishment of section 377 to live their sexual desires which have given a rise of more than 45% in same-sex relationships outside their respective marriages.
- There is almost the same ration of men and women who are cheating on their partners and are seeking love out of their married relationship. Most of these people reside in metropolitans such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru where people are more open to this kind of lifestyle. 31% of them are engaged in an affair with their neighbours or with a partner at the workplace.
Considering the facts and increasing trend of adultery amongst Indian couples, it is evident that gradually, but Indian society is also accepting open relationships outside marriage. Also, there is a non-negotiable angle to the story where many more people are following the same path but cannot be evaluated in surveys as they keep it secret due to social pressure.
- Solene Paillet ,Marketing Specialist for Gleeden