81% women find it difficult to open up about their relationships to parents

81% women find it difficult to open up about their relationships to parents

Riya.Sharma@timesgroup.com  23.10.2020 

With social distancing being practised and work from home becoming the new normal, we have been spending a lot of our time at home, including on weekends. As most singles in India live at home with their parents, a survey recently aimed to understand the challenges faced by young men and women who are stuck at home and its impact on their mental health.

There are communication gaps between parents and their children, the survey conducted by Shaadi.com suggests, with the challenges seeming tougher for women than men.

The survey revealed that 81% women find it difficult to talk about relationship issues whereas only 65% men struggle with this. This is primarily because of the societal perception that surrounds women who are in relationship, making them hesitant about sharing things with their parents. This inability to share their feelings is making it stressful for 60% of the women.

Sujata Singh, a 28-year-old, who works in an MNC in Gurgaon, shares, “I don’t want my parents to know about my dating life. First of all, I don’t think they will understand it and even if they do, they won’t understand if it is serious or just casual dating. They might just become friends with the guy and there will be no privacy left!”

Disha Kumar*, a student of Law, adds, “I don’t think my parents need to know anything about my relationships. I am not sure how they will react if I tell them anything that bothers me in my relationship. I’d rather ask a friend for help as parents might take the problem too seriously.” On the other hand, 92% of parents said that their children are completely free to have conversations with them, as per the survey. But for women in particular, the generation gap is one of the top reasons why they are unable to open up to their folks. On the flip side, 72% parents said they did not feel that the generation gap made it difficult to communicate with their kids.

Vandana Suneja from Gurgaon, a mother of a 25-year-old, shares, “My daughter discusses her relationship with me sometimes. Though I feel she is hesitant at times, I think we have maintained enough trust that lets her tell me anything without fear of being judged.”

(*Names changed on request)

Societal perception that surrounds women who are in relationship makes them hesitant about sharing things with their parents, the survey points out

MY PARENTS DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIPS. I AM NOT SURE HOW THEYWILL REACT, I WOULD RATHER TELL A FRIEND IF I HAVE SOME ISSUES

– Disha Kumar*, a law student