Best dating app for married woman

"I started using Happn (a dating app) in 2017 and came across many men looking for short-term flings. I began chatting with one of them on the app, and soon enough he wanted to make plans to meet. That’s when I stumbled upon his social media profile and realised that he was married and was looking to have a fling through the dating app. I was taken aback, but then several of my married male friends also told me that they often look for hook-ups on such dating apps,” reveals 29-year-old communications executive Gayatri H (name changed). This is not a one-off case, as a dating app for married people, Gleeden, reveals that it has more than 50,000 users from Bengaluru alone. "Bengaluru is one of the top three cities for us, (with Mumbai and New Delhi ahead on the list). The ratio of male to female is 70:30, but the percentage of women is increasing by the day. The age group that is most active on our platform is between 34-49 years,” says Solene Paillet, Head of Communication Management of the app service provider.

Solene further adds that 70% of the connections are made with a mobile phone (app or mobile website) and that the peak time for making a connection is 10.30 pm. Despite the subscription for such dating sites being less in Bengaluru (50,000), compared to Mumbai (85,000) and New Delhi (80,000), the numbers throw light on an important phenomenon; finding happiness outside marriage. Solene adds, “Indian married women deal with much of the daily grind of running the household, and a lot of them don’t feel satisfied with their lives. An app like ours is a way for them to meet someone who really gels with them — someone with the same desires and expectations.”

But what is driving married people to seek ‘fun’ elsewhere? Are failed relationships the only reason? “The key reasons for one wanting to use such apps is to break the monotony that has set in their married life and they might want to seek thrill and try something new. I have had couples telling me that their spouses did not live up to their expectations. There is always this ‘ideal’ type of a spouse, but the partner turns out to be something totally different,” explains Dr Vikram Prabhu, a city-based psychiatrist who adds, “Also, these apps provide a sense of anonymity along with the thrill and you can portray yourself in whichever way you want. But, what we need to remember is that marriage is not about wanting the right person, but also being the right person for your partner.”