Divorced and happy: Indian women challenge stigma around separation

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Changing social mores, such as those that prioritise personal fulfilment over traditional marital obligations, and greater financial independence for women, are driving up divorce rates. They have also empowered some divorced women to fight the contempt and allegations of dishonour thrown at them in society.

As societal values evolve, particularly in urban areas, divorce is increasingly viewed as a legitimate means to end an unhappy marriage rather than a social taboo

Divorce rates in India are still low. According to the 2011 Census, the country’s latest, 1.36 million individuals were divorced, equivalent to 0.24 per cent of the married population.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court recognised “irreconcilable differences” as grounds for divorce under Hindu marriage law, signalling a shift from the need to prove specific wrongdoings like adultery or cruelty for divorce​​.

But biases that have ossified over centuries can be hard to shake off....For Hindus, this stigma comes from the idea of Kanya Daan (literary “gifting away a virgin”), an integral wedding ritual through which the father hands over his daughter to her husband. “Now you can’t regift someone who is not a virgin... you can’t really have a traditional Hindu marriage twice

For qns on gender and tradition....