India’s urban core is at the beginning of a romantic revolution, with lines being drawn between Tier-1 giants and Tier-2 risers.
Modern love is shaking due to dating apps, changing social mores, and a dizzying onslaught of technology, yet a simple question cuts through the noise: who buys into the longevity of monogamy? Is the metro sophistication of Tier-1 ready to abandon tradition, or can Tier-2`s small city sentiment stand the test of time against tech-driven temptation?
In the blend charge for clarity amidst the churning disruptive change, dating app Gleeden, is also taking mass readings on India’s romantic pulse through a survey of over 1,500 respondents topped off by telephonic/data powered outlines pan-India, which indicates the story of fidelity and faithfulness is not nuanced at all.
The metro monogamy-fast love
If India’s biggest metros had a relationship status, it would be “It’s complicated.” According to the survey, 54 per cent of people in Tier-1 cities — like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad — still believe monogamy will remain the main relationship model in the coming decade. Meaning that a staggering 46 per cent is transitioning towards alternative, more flexible relationship models, or at least opening their mind to the thought of it.
On the contrary, Tier-2 cities, where 62 per cent of respondents support the idea of “forever and only you”. So while more than half of big-city respondents still back monogamy, there’s also a growing openness and empathy toward alternative, more flexible relationship models.
Tier-2 vows, true love — stick a local label on it
On the other hand, in Tier-2 cities (Jaipur, Ludhiana, Patna, Kochi, Guwahati, and Indore) monogamous love is very alive and kicking – with 62 per cent of responders seeing the monogamous paradigm as the sole future for love. And yet 38 per cent are slowly changing their views, with 66% having done so in the last 5 years.
Nevertheless, the majority of responders from tier-2 cities still believe the monogamous relationship pattern to continue to be the norm, suggesting that, while the residents of these regions have embraced the new technology and beliefs that accompany modernity, they still embrace the strong, even at times threatening, belief of “forever”.
Open relationships, open borders – how ready are you to be different?
The discourse of opening relationships, or others willing to consider non-monogamous situations, is not merely capitalist or metropolitan. On the contrary, when it comes to alternative relationship patterns, Tier-1 and Tier-2 are very much aligned: in fact, not only both clusters believe opening and polyamorous relationships would become more accepted by Indian society in the incoming future (54 per cent in Tier-1 and a whopping 64 per cent in Tier-2 cities), but also bet on open relationship to becoming the dominating relationship trend in 10 years or so (52 per cent in Tier-1 and 59 per cent in Tier-2 cities).
And even though monogamy is, and will remain the norm – at least in the near future – both Tier-1 and Tier-2 are showing a cultural and generational push toward more variety in relationships especially as many people take a “wait and see” approach (24 per cent in Tier-1, 20 per cent in Tier-2), suggesting that the real “norm” will in actual fact depend on each couple’s choices. Overall, the contrast between monogamy and modern relationships isn’t as clear-cut as it seems—personal beliefs and conversations matter more than traditions or geography.
Love across the digital divide – Technology tempts; but tradition sticks
The narrative of technology is also hard to ignore, and especially in Tier-1 cities where infidelity, dating apps and digital temptation are commonplace. Still, tradition remains a strong undercurrent for the future. Overall, 69% of respondents believe technology has made infidelity easier—and the percentage is nearly the same in both Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Yet, despite this digital pressure, both groups still hold on to their traditional views, suggesting that monogamy may survive even against today’s temptations.
Sybil Shiddell, relationship manager with the app in India, says “What we are seeing is an interesting shift in how urban and semi-urban populations perceiving loyalty in relationships; tradition and tech are tugging at the very fabric of modern love, but it`s about couple conversations and not city size, that determine the fate of monogamy.”
Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities are not in a “winner-takes-all” love-war narrative, but rather showing two distinct faces of Indian romance ending in shared beliefs. Tier-1 has cosmopolitanism and pace, challenging old norms and not erasing them, while Tier-2 has tradition alive but with modern temptation undeterred. Monogamy`s fate will be determined by every couple’s unique negotiation around modernity and tradition, rather than geography. And the takeaway is not who “wins”, but rather if everlasting values like love, respect and loyalty can survive and evolve without coerced exclusivity.
