BUSINESS WEEK – Apr 14 – Just a decade ago, divorce was a dirty word in socially conservative India. But as the economy has boomed, the rigid boundaries governing traditional Indian life are beginning to fall, especially among the growing urban middle class. Dating among twentysomethings is growing popular, love matches (as opposed to arranged marriages) don't provoke the family scandals they once did and divorce is no longer out of bounds. The country maintains no statistics on divorce. In the 1980s, New Delhi had two courts that dealt with divorce. Today there are 16. A new Indian matchmaking website Secondshaadi.com, or second marriage, now targets divorcees and widowers. "Women, especially now, have little tolerance for bad marriages, for parental interference in their marriage. They have more economic independence," says Iti Kanungo, a court-appointed marriage counselor.
by Muneeza Naqvi
The full article was originally published at BusinessWeek, but is no longer available.
Sounds like more than anything this is an urban phenomenon. It’ll more than likely take decades before you see that type of trend in the villages if ever.
Sounds like more than anything this is an urban phenomenon. It’ll more than likely take decades before you see that type of trend in the villages if ever.