Are extramarital affairs common in Indian society?
Indian Society in the present day and age is a rare concoction of traditional values influenced by globalization.
To argue that extramarital affairs never existed in traditional Indian society before modernization entered our households would be incorrect.
Infidelity is as old as the human race. No society on the face of this Earth can boast of the absence of extramarital affairs.
The Philippines punish people with rigorous imprisonment for adultery. In countries where the Sharia law is followed, adultery is a punishable offense, though China does not consider adultery as a crime, it can be grounds on which divorce is granted and compensation can be claimed.
Where does India stand on the world map of adultery laws? In 2018, the Supreme Court dismissed section 497 of the IPC as unconstitutional. Adultery and infidelity do not constitute a crime unless it amounts to abetment of murder. Also, the law was gender biased, only a man could be punished not a woman.
Recently, a Parliamentary Committee has urged the court to consider adultery as a crime in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the proposed law to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 but making it gender neutral with no discrimination.
So, what had led to this appeal to reinstate a previous law? Does a law against infidelity discourage individuals from indulging in extramarital affairs?
It’s difficult to sum up the general consciousness of a nation as wide and diverse as India, where every 5000 miles, the language, cuisine, and culture change.
But we must understand that society functions on two different aspects- legality and morality and everything in this world has a counterargument. Largely, extramarital affairs are considered immoral even if it has been decriminalized by the court.
1)Though immoral, the extramarital dating app, Gleeden’s 20% users are Indians which is roughly 2 million out of the 10 million users worldwide. An app created for something considered taboo is being accepted by 2 million Indians reflecting that Indians are open to infidelity but not a large number.
Internet usage hasn’t reached remote areas of India so considering that the app usage isn’t a clear indicator.
2)Recent surveys reveal that 50% of married people admit to either being attracted to the opposite sex or have indulged in an extramarital affair. More detailed surveys state that 76% of women and 61% of men feel that there is nothing wrong with an extramarital affair.
At the same time, the Divorce rates in India are lowest worldwide, as low as 1%. But in the last 2 to 3 years divorce rates have increased in urban areas. It is mainly because women are more financially independent than in the last decade and vocal about their needs and choices.
India isn’t on the global chart for the highest divorce rates or the highest rates of infidelity. We are a society that largely upholds the sacred ties of matrimony.
Reference
