Millions of Indians tie the knot every year – and according to 2016 statistics, 90 per cent of marriages in India are arranged – where families organize relationships for their kids once they are of legal marrying age. While 87 percent of Indians claim they are happy in their married lives, thousands of married Indians are cheating in their relationships, extramarital dating app Gleeden said on Wednesday.
Titled the “Infidelity Survey of India” – the report revealed that 55 per cent of Indians have already cheated on their partners – with the top reasons emerging as monotony and lack of zest or spice in married and sexual lives. The need to take a break from the routine or lack of affection in arranged marriages also surfaced as pushing people towards infidelity
Born in France, run by women and headquartered in Miami, US – the app claims to be the world’s only dating platform for married people seeking safe and discreet excitement, fun and perhaps love outside their relationships.
India is Gleeden’s fastest-growing international market with over 800,000 members who are consciously choosing to cheat on their spouses. Since its India launch in 2017, the dating app for infidelity has witnessed a 567 per cent growth of in-app traffic.
Interestingly, Indian women make up for 56 per cent of the spouses who choose to cheat in marriages – totally defying stereotypes.
“Indian women seem particularly open-minded about infidelity, especially when it revolves around romance. All they need is privacy, discretion and a choice of partners way beyond their usual circles,” said Solene Paillet, Marketing Director of Gleeden.
Mainly, Indian metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmadabad – where Indians from all around the country migrate for jobs and better living standards – have sprung up as the regions with the maximum cases of web-powered and physically intimate extramarital affairs.
“There is an urge for extra marital dating which is very much present in Indian society, especially in big metropolitan cities. India is our fastest-growing market,” said Sybil Shiddell, Country Manager, Gleeden India.
Infidelity has been a practice in India for ages. It has been noted in mythology, monarchies as well as modernity – the phenomenon has travelled throughout the ages.
The report further stated that 62 percent of married Indians end up forgiving their partners – if they were caught flirting and dating online through emails, texts or apps. However, the chances of forgiving a counterpart who was caught cheating in a homosexual extramarital affair were the lowest in the country.
Back in 2018, India legally decriminalised adultery in the country, but Indians still refrain from talking openly about it.
The extramarital dating app is on its way to hit the one million user mark in India, by the end of 2020. Still, no Bollywood celebrity has agreed to endorse the global platform which claims to have reached out to Kangana Ranaut and Malaika Arora Khan among other actors. Social networking platforms including Facebook and Instagram have also flagged the app from their platforms, company officials told Sputnik.
Owing to the stigma around open marriages, where both partners are allowed to have consensual relations with other people, in traditional countries like India, the infidelity app plans to rope in stand-up comedians for advertising and marketing purposes.
“The idea is to reduce the drama surrounding extramarital affairs which are clearly happening anyway. Backing the phenomenon with historic stories like that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles of England, and associating it with humour could ease conversations surrounding the topic,” Shiddell added.
In addition, Paillet mentioned countries like Turkey and England attempt to limit the existing phenomenon of extramarital affairs, and married cheaters from these countries feel the most regretful after committing adultery in their relationships.