The Ugly Side of Indian Matchmaking #5 – Women Having a Love Partner in the Past Is Seen as Taboo, Here’s Why It’s Wrong

March 21, 2025
ARTICLE BY
Oendrila Kapoor
5 min read

In India, dating is allowed—but only if it leads to marriage.

💡 Had a past relationship? You’re “tainted.”
💡 Had an ex? Your “character” is questioned.
💡 Broke up? “There must be something wrong with you.”

🚨 The moment a family finds out someone had a romantic past, they become “less desirable” in the marriage market.

❌ Men assume a woman with a dating history won’t be a “good wife.”
❌ Families reject men who have dated before, labeling them as “not serious.”
❌ People are forced to lie about their past just to be “accepted” in the rishta scene.

💡 But here’s the ugly truth—this mindset is not just outdated, it’s completely illogical.

🚫 The Hypocrisy of ‘Sanskaar’ – Why Is a Love Past a Dealbreaker?

💬 What families say:

  • “We want a good, traditional girl who hasn’t dated before.”
  • “If he’s been with other women, how can he be loyal to our daughter?”
  • “She had a boyfriend? Then she’s not ‘pure.’”

🚨 But here’s what actually happens in society:
✔️ The same people watch Bollywood movies glorifying love stories.
✔️ The same parents had their own college crushes but conveniently “forgot” about them.
✔️ The same relatives celebrate a love marriage—only if no one talks about the dating phase before it.

💡 So dating is fine—but only if no one finds out? That’s hypocrisy at its finest.

🤦‍♂️ The Double Standard – Why Men Can Have a Past, but Women Can’t

Indian matchmaking loves double standards.

👨 For men:

  • “He dated before? It’s okay, boys will be boys.”
  • “Experience is good—it makes him mature.”
  • “At least he knows what he wants in a wife now.”

👩 For women:

  • “She had a boyfriend? She’s not wife material.”
  • “How can we trust her if she loved someone else before?”
  • “Will she compare her husband to her ex?”

Why is a man’s dating past seen as experience, while a woman’s is seen as a flaw?  This is nothing but patriarchy dressed up as tradition.

💔 The Reality: People Are Forced to Hide Their Past to Get Married

Because of this toxic mindset, people are forced to:

Lie about their past relationships—even if they were meaningful, healthy, and respectful.
Erase years of their life—just to appear “acceptable” for marriage.
Pretend to be inexperienced in love—even though relationships help people grow.

🚨 But here’s the truth:

✔️ A person’s past doesn’t define their future.
✔️ A failed relationship doesn’t mean they will fail in marriage.
✔️ Someone who has loved before actually understands commitment and emotions better.

💡 Rejecting someone because they have loved before is rejecting maturity, emotional depth, and real-world experience.

🏠 The Fear Behind This Mindset – Why Families Can’t Handle the Truth

Most Indian families reject people with a dating history because they fear:

💬 “What will society say?”
💬 “Will they compare their spouse to their ex?”
💬 “Can they truly be loyal after loving someone else?”

🚨 But here’s what they don’t realize:

✔️ Loving someone before marriage doesn’t mean you can’t love again.
✔️ Commitment isn’t about being the “first”—it’s about being the “right” one.
✔️ A successful marriage is based on honesty, not a sanitized past.

💡 The only thing that matters is—who the person is today. Not who they loved before.

🚀 Final Thoughts: Change the Mindset, Change the Future

✅ A person’s worth isn’t defined by their dating past.
✅ A past relationship doesn’t mean they can’t commit—it means they’ve learned from love.
✅ Men and women deserve equal treatment—if one’s history is okay, so is the other’s.

At The Date Crew, we celebrate love in all its forms—without judgment, without labels, just meaningful experiences. Because the best relationships aren’t about the past, they’re about what comes next. 💛 Start creating yours with The Date Crew. Contact us today. 

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Abhay & Apoorva matched at TDC