India’s young women: Independent but stressed

Indian women have advanced by leaps and bounds now. The young woman of India is an aware, independent, and career building woman, who sometimes daunts the young men of her generation. At the same time, young Indian women are also fighting stress on a daily basis leading to health problems like panic disorder, substance abuse, and suicidal behaviour.

Whilst there will always be challenges, the mantra to succeed is to stay extraordinary, stay ahead of the curve by continuously evolving, and develop context-specific capabilities and the right attitude to evolve, grow, contribute, and create a big impact with delight. Business, health, family, legacy, all together, simultaneously, without burning out

Harini Ramachandran, Co-Creator of Excellence Installations Technology & Co-founder, Antano & Harini

According to a survey by healthcare platform, Practo, based on data collected from 78,000 women users, there was a 23% rise in consultations in oncology and mental health among Indian women. Notably, a majority of mental health consultations, particularly for psychotherapy, psychiatry, and psychology, were sought by younger women, the most discussed concerns being withdrawal symptoms, suicidal behaviour, stress, panic, PTSD, eating disorder, drug abuse, and alcoholic addiction.

Read more: Women in workplace: Blue collar female workers fare better than their white collar counterparts

While this is a cause for concern, it also shows that Indian women are becoming aware of their health and are reaching out for help.

Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, “In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of younger women seeking mental health support and this trend warrants attention and action. There are multiple factors contributing to this trend, such as increasing awareness and de-stigmatisation of mental health concerns, the impact of social media on mental health, and the unique stressors and challenges faced by younger generations. As a community we have to recognise this and provide support and foster overall wellbeing.”

Dr Rajiv Nandy, Clinical Psychologist, Chairman-Shristi Child Development & Learning Institute said, “Acceptance and awareness has been the most fundamental driving force of this change. Women today are more educated, more aware of themselves and their role in society. They are in positions of power, they know how to exercise their rights, they know when and how to assert themselves and they definitely have the ability to recognise when something is not right and seek help.”

“Whilst there will always be challenges, the mantra to succeed is to stay extraordinary, stay ahead of the curve by continuously evolving, and develop context-specific capabilities and the right attitude to evolve, grow, contribute, and create a big impact with delight. Business, health, family, legacy, all together, simultaneously, without burning out,” Harini Ramachandran, Co-Creator of Excellence Installations Technology & Co-founder, Antano & Harini says.

Career women daunt men in online dating

The world of a young Indian woman isn’t all that easy though. It seems men on online dating apps are daunted by a career woman. According to a poll done by dating app Quack Quack of 12,000 women using online dating, 33% mentioned a woman’s career growth can be a threat to grown men.

27% of women between 28 to 35 working in the top tier companies in the country mentioned that some men they have matched with could not handle that these women were in better positions in their careers compared to the said men.

4 in 12 women from tier 1 and tier 2 cities told QuackQuack that their office timings and hectic schedule were one of the top topics of conflict in their relationships. They believe that while a man working hard and aiming higher is considered desirable when a woman does the same, they come off as cold and “overly” career-oriented.

“Women continue to have certain advantages and certain challenges although the nature of it has been changing over the decades. We are fortunate to be from this part of the world where women are not oppressed, and it’s important to make the most out of the unique situation of privilege we all have starting with overcoming one’s own complexes, and biases and then performing as a capable and purpose-oriented human, not just a woman or man,” says Ramachandran.

Read more: Women in tech: Time to STEM up ladies

Women are breaking out of the older ways of finding a date by embracing dating apps. 39% of women between 22 to 30 think the online dating space is becoming more women-friendly and challenging the gender dynamics in dating. From introducing features like chat before you match that focuses on the comfort of both men and women to enhancing and upgrading safety features that are undeniably more useful to women than men, dating apps are aiding young Indian women in finding love.

14% of these women expressed how they no longer merely “settle” for the first man who shows the bare minimum kindness and effort; women have gotten choosier for their own good.