New Delhi: Fewer Indians see caste as a strict preference in marriage, a new report by Jeevansathi.com revealed. In 2016, 91 per cent of users on the matrimony site selected caste as a strict preference. The figure dropped to 54 per cent in 2025.
The Modern Matchmaking Report 2026, released by Jeevansathi.com, highlights several insights based on in-app survey responses from over 30,000 active users. It’s supposed to reflect how Indians have changed their marriage patterns in the last 10 years. For example, the median age of Jeevansathi users has shifted by two years. In 2016, 27 was the age when people would start their search for a partner, but in 2025, 50 per cent of users started their search at the age of 29.
Only 49 per cent of the users living in metro cities chose caste as a strict preference. Now, what matters more is compatibility. “As economic mobility increases, traditional social silos are collapsing,” read the report. “The idea of partnership is no longer decided only by background; compatibility plays an equal role.”
Several factors may explain this shift. Dating app fatigue has pushed many Indians toward matrimony platforms in search of people to date and marry. Unlike a decade ago, when these sites were used exclusively for marriage, they now function as an alternative to dating apps. Tired of endless swiping and ghosting, users increasingly believe matrimony platforms offer more serious and better-aligned matches. Today, shared interests—such as music taste—often matter more than background. And factors such as jobs, value systems, and political views carry greater weight than they did before.
However, just because users are not strictly choosing caste as a preference doesn’t mean more people are getting into intercaste marriage. Most users tend to find their kind of people—from the same social class—when it comes to marriage and relationships.
According to the report, it isn’t so much about the right age or the right career path; for 90 per cent of users, finding the right partner is the central priority, said the report.
‘Modern Indian Middle Path’
The report also highlights how marriage timelines are getting shorter.
“Users who come on Jeevansathi are clear about marriage and once they find a compatible partner, they’re ready to move forward with conviction,” the report read. About 78 per cent of users prefer getting married to their matches within six months, and 48 per cent do so in just three months. Only 22 per cent of users marry within a year. “Matrimony journeys are defined by intent, not exploration,” said the study.
A majority of users—69 per cent—say that parental involvement makes the process easier. Among women, the figure rises to 75 per cent.
It doesn’t mean that parents are selecting the matches—users like the freedom to choose—but they don’t want the pressure to take such decisions alone.
“This is ‘Modern Indian Middle Path’ where family involvement is evolving from control to support; offering emotional reassurance, social validation and patriarchal guidance,” the report said. Meanwhile, only 32 per cent of users on the matrimony site are finding matches on their own, without wanting parents to be involved.
No more sole breadwinners
The Jeevansathi report debunks the myth that men are insecure about women earning more than them. A total of 87 per cent of men said they are comfortable with marrying a woman who earns more than them. Meanwhile, only 15 per cent of women are okay with their male partners earning less than them.
“Women continue to face structural issues with regards to their financial well-being. A woman with the same potential as a man might earn less, grow slower in her career or take on more unpaid domestic labour. So, when women gravitate towards partners who earn more, it’s not necessarily out of greed,” wrote Harshveer Jain in his book Putting the Toilet Seat Down. “Often, it’s because their best fit—a partner who matches them in intellect, humour and values—happens to be someone structurally positioned to earn more.”
As per the report, it’s the end of the sole breadwinner era—42 per cent of matrimony site users want their partners to contribute equally. And 50 per cent of them say it depends on the situation. Only 8 per cent of users are of the opinion that only one person should take on the financial responsibility.
Marriage drives urban migration
Do Indians prefer living in a nuclear family or with parents? It depends on circumstances. According to the report, 44 per cent of users say they are flexible about their living arrangements. While 39 per cent prefer living with parents—the man’s parents—only 17 per cent favour a nuclear set-up. Of those who prefer living with parents, 20 per cent are women. “Among women, the lower preference for living with parents reflects a desire for autonomy, negotiated domestic roles and personal space,” the report read.
Rising real estate costs and poor work-life balance make it difficult for newly married couples to live independently in metro cities. With sky-high rents, it often makes more sense to share housing costs among a family of four rather than a family of two. “Singles want to design living arrangements around real-world variables like job locations, lifestyle, caregiving responsibilities, and financial practicality,” stated the report.
Marriage continues to function as a “vehicle for upward mobility and urban migration”. Many users from cities such as Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, and Indore prefer not to seek matches within their own cities, instead aspiring to relocate to Delhi-NCR after marriage. In contrast, residents of Pune, Kolkata, and Bengaluru show no such inclination and largely look for partners within their own cities.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)