Female daters from smaller towns choosing to date, marry men from metros: Study

Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: istock

Desi dating application QuackQuack, which recently reached 25 million users, has released new statistics that indicate growing trends among Indians who go out on dates regularly. Interestingly, the application has is growing in popularity in cities like Surat, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Patna, Indore, and Nagpur, besides the prime metropolitan cities.

The app's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, commented, "It delights us to see so many people place their trust in QuackQuack. In the last year itself, we recorded around 31.4 lakh matches on our app. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing the steady growth of our community. We have always wanted to secure our footing in Tier 2 Indian cities along with Tier 1; in the last nine months, QuackQuack has gained more than 72 per cent of new users from smaller towns and cities."

While their presence in cities is changing, there are also other trends that are being seen:

Tier 1 Vs. Tier 2
The app explains how Tier 1 and Tier 2 users have their own unique way of dating. Tier 1 male users have no specific preference when it comes to location and usually connect with Tier 1 and 2 women equally. Whereas Tier 2 men, especially the ones who have moved to metropolitan cities, are seen matching specifically with Tier 2 women based on shared nostalgia for the suburbs.

Women in the lead
QuackQuack shared how it has seen a massive rise in the number of women from the eastern cities of India, more than a 50 per cent increase in the last few months. The app has also witnessed a swell in female users from Tier 2 cities compared to Tier 1 cities. Moreover, speaking about the latest dating trends, the dating app disclosed how Tier 2 female users are dating for more reasons than love. Urbanising is the up-and-coming trend in the virtual dating world- female daters from smaller cities and towns are choosing to date and marry men from metropolitan cities and migrate for additional advantages such as better career opportunities and an upgraded lifestyle. About 23 per cent of women found it opportunistic, while 41 per cent of women and 36 per cent of men believed it to be harmless.

Are you a jugaadu?
Among other new trends unfolding in India's homegrown dating app, Jugaad seems to be the most interesting and productive one. As the name suggests, it's an innovative problem-solving approach wherein users relocating to new cities use the app to make the transition more seamless. According to QuackQuack's observations, 36 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women matched with people from the new city through the app to learn more about the local culture, find out the best restaurants around town, local hangout spots, traffic scenes, the easiest way to commute within the city and more.

GenZ, GenX, Millennials and more
Almost 27 per cent of the new addition to the QuackQuack community is GenZ. Millennials, GenX, and more made up the other 73 per cent. The app says there are some stark differences between GenZ and Millennials daters. While GenZ rejects the concept of soulmates, the Millennials romanticise the idea and are almost enamoured by it. The daters between 18 to 22 years are more open to experimenting with their relationship preferences, choosing open relationships, casual, serious, and more. Users between 22 to 28 years are seen picking both casual and long-term relationships, depending on their match, but the people above 28 years generally prefer long-term exclusive relationships and dating that can lead to marriage. There has also been a positive increase in Gen X and Boomers, with more divorcees and single parents taking a second shot at love.