MUMBAI: Nearly 68 per cent of previously married singles are hesitant to match with people who have never been married, according to a survey by Rebounce, a matrimony and matchmaking app for divorced and widowed individuals.
The findings suggest that for many divorcees, finding a new partner is only part of the challenge. Finding someone who understands their past experiences and shares their expectations of marriage can be equally difficult. Rebounce said six in 10 divorced singles surveyed found it easier to find love than to find someone on the same page.
The survey covered 11,000 previously married and never-married singles aged between 28 and 45 across metropolitan and suburban regions, representing different professional backgrounds.
“Second chances for divorced singles mean something much more than just finding someone new; they want someone who can accept that they have already lived and experienced marriage in a certain way, and they still want to build a future even after that marriage fell apart,” said Rebounce founder and CEO Ravi Mittal.
He added that previously married singles appeared more cautious about connecting with never-married people, while the reverse group was more enthusiastic about such matches.
For people who have experienced marriage and divorce, a new relationship can bring concerns about whether a prospective partner will understand their history. The survey found that 55 per cent of respondents had realised that love alone was not enough to sustain a marriage. Three in 10 were co-parenting children with their former partners.
Nearly 48 per cent of divorced and widowed respondents said their main concern about matching with someone never married was the fear of being judged for their past.
A 32-year-old respondent, identified as Nikita, said she worried that a never-married partner might compare their marriage with an idealised version of the institution or expect her to have no emotional complications from her previous relationship.
Not all previously married singles ruled out such relationships. According to the survey, 32 per cent were open to connecting with never-married people.
Among the reasons cited was the possibility that a partner experiencing marriage for the first time could bring a fresh and positive perspective. Meanwhile, 23 per cent of users who had experienced such matches said they had developed a better understanding of boundaries and communication, helping them address issues before they escalated.
The findings indicate that differences in marital experience do not necessarily prevent a relationship from working, although expectations need to be discussed openly.
For some never-married singles, the hesitation works in the opposite direction. Around 18 per cent of those reluctant to date someone previously married said they feared missing the experience of reaching important milestones together for the first time, including planning a wedding, building a home or experiencing parenthood.
At the same time, the survey found that 41 per cent of previously married respondents were open to marrying someone who had never been married, even as some acknowledged that differing expectations could become a source of friction.
The findings point to the importance of discussing past relationships, family responsibilities and expectations early in the matchmaking process, rather than allowing differences in experience to become a source of comparison.