Why Can’t Indian Men Admit Marriage Benefits Them Not The Women?
Nidhi | Nov 07, 2025, 13:27 IST
Parents Break More Marriages.
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
In India, marriage is often romanticized as a sacred partnership — but who really benefits from it? This article explores why marriage continues to work more in favor of men than women, despite modern education and equality debates. From unpaid emotional labor to societal double standards, it challenges the myths around love, compromise, and “adjustment.” A thought-provoking look at how patriarchy hides beneath tradition, and why Indian women are beginning to question if marriage is still worth it.
For years, Indian marriages have been described as “beautiful partnerships” - a sacred bond, a merging of two souls, a promise of forever.
But let’s be honest, behind the rituals, the hashtags, and the family photos, one truth remains quietly unspoken: marriage works far more comfortably for men than it does for women.
Most Indian men don’t even realize it.
Because when privilege is normalized, it doesn’t feel like privilege - it feels like balance. And when women begin to question that balance, they’re called “too modern,” “too emotional,” or simply “too much.”
This isn’t about blaming men. It’s about exposing a structure that silently trains them to expect comfort and trains women to provide it, all under the name of love, tradition, and “adjustment.”
So before anyone says, “But not all men,” let’s look at why - even in 2025, the institution of marriage still tends to reward one side more than the other.
When an Indian woman marries, her entire world shifts — from her last name to her address, her family dynamics to her sense of independence. She adapts to a new home, a new routine, and often a new version of herself.
The man? His daily life changes minimally. He still lives near his family, keeps his job, his friends, his routines. The emotional and physical migration almost always happens on her side. He gains a wife; she loses a world she once knew.
When a child is born, a parent falls sick, or a family duty arises, it’s usually the woman who’s expected to “adjust.” Her career break is called a “choice,” but the truth is — she never had a real one.
Men, even the progressive ones, rarely offer to pause or step back in the same way. Society rewards their ambition but shames hers for being “selfish.” The unspoken rule is clear: his success defines the family’s stability, hers threatens it.
Women remember birthdays, call relatives, plan festivals, and smooth over conflicts — all while managing work and home.
This is called emotional labor, and it’s invisible until she stops doing it. Most men think “she’s better at it,” but that’s not nature — that’s conditioning. She learned early that harmony is her duty, even when it costs her peace.
Women are judged for everything — from how they talk to how they cook. A husband helping occasionally is praised as “supportive,” while her constant work is expected, not acknowledged.
He gets applause for doing what she’s taken for granted for doing daily. Equality isn’t when he helps; it’s when the labor is naturally shared. But that’s rarely the case — and men often don’t even notice how much the scales lean in their favor.
When a woman marries, she’s told she’s now part of “his” family. She’s expected to accept new parents, new customs, and new responsibilities — often while quietly distancing from her own.
He, on the other hand, gains both families without giving up either. It’s rarely questioned why she’s expected to shift her world entirely while he stays rooted in his. Equality shouldn’t require relocation of identity.
If a marriage is unhappy, everyone asks what she did wrong. If a man cheats, people say “he must not have been happy.” Society teaches women to fix relationships and men to flee them.
Even today, many women stay because leaving means judgment, but men leave because staying feels inconvenient. She’s told endurance is strength — he’s told freedom is his right.
From what she wears to who she meets, women still navigate decisions through a lens of male comfort. It may not always be controlling, but it’s subtly conditional — a quiet expectation that her life must fit his idea of “respectable.”
Meanwhile, his movements, choices, and friendships go unquestioned. Love should feel equal, not supervised. But too often, marriage gives men authority and women accountability.
From childhood, girls are told marriage is the milestone that defines success. For boys, it’s just the next checkbox — after career and financial stability.
She grows up believing she’s waiting to be chosen. He grows up believing he’ll choose. That’s not romance — that’s power imbalance disguised as tradition.
But let’s be honest, behind the rituals, the hashtags, and the family photos, one truth remains quietly unspoken: marriage works far more comfortably for men than it does for women.
Most Indian men don’t even realize it.
Because when privilege is normalized, it doesn’t feel like privilege - it feels like balance. And when women begin to question that balance, they’re called “too modern,” “too emotional,” or simply “too much.”
This isn’t about blaming men. It’s about exposing a structure that silently trains them to expect comfort and trains women to provide it, all under the name of love, tradition, and “adjustment.”
So before anyone says, “But not all men,” let’s look at why - even in 2025, the institution of marriage still tends to reward one side more than the other.
1. She Rearranges Her Life, He Rarely Rearranges His
marriage crimes
( Image credit : Freepik )
The man? His daily life changes minimally. He still lives near his family, keeps his job, his friends, his routines. The emotional and physical migration almost always happens on her side. He gains a wife; she loses a world she once knew.
2. Her Ambition Becomes Flexible, His Becomes Priority
Marriage After Kids
( Image credit : Freepik )
Men, even the progressive ones, rarely offer to pause or step back in the same way. Society rewards their ambition but shames hers for being “selfish.” The unspoken rule is clear: his success defines the family’s stability, hers threatens it.
3. She Holds Everyone Together, He Believes That’s Just Her Nature
marriage
( Image credit : Pexels )
This is called emotional labor, and it’s invisible until she stops doing it. Most men think “she’s better at it,” but that’s not nature — that’s conditioning. She learned early that harmony is her duty, even when it costs her peace.
4. She’s Measured by Standards, He’s Excused by Excuses
He gets applause for doing what she’s taken for granted for doing daily. Equality isn’t when he helps; it’s when the labor is naturally shared. But that’s rarely the case — and men often don’t even notice how much the scales lean in their favor.
5. She Marries Into a Family, He Just Gets a Wife
Women
( Image credit : Freepik )
He, on the other hand, gains both families without giving up either. It’s rarely questioned why she’s expected to shift her world entirely while he stays rooted in his. Equality shouldn’t require relocation of identity.
6. She’s Taught to Endure, He’s Taught He Can Leave
Even today, many women stay because leaving means judgment, but men leave because staying feels inconvenient. She’s told endurance is strength — he’s told freedom is his right.
7. She Needs His Permission, He Feels Entitled to Her Life
Meanwhile, his movements, choices, and friendships go unquestioned. Love should feel equal, not supervised. But too often, marriage gives men authority and women accountability.
8. She’s Told Marriage Completes Her, He’s Told Marriage Rewards Him
Arrange marriage
( Image credit : Freepik )
From childhood, girls are told marriage is the milestone that defines success. For boys, it’s just the next checkbox — after career and financial stability.
She grows up believing she’s waiting to be chosen. He grows up believing he’ll choose. That’s not romance — that’s power imbalance disguised as tradition.