As Karwa Chauth is round the corner, men and women reveal the reasons why they fast. By Team Viva
What is the relevance of Karwa Chauth? Does the fasting actually prolong the life of a husband? What do milennial women feel about observing the ritual? Is it for love or only for the sake of tradition that the modern woman undertakes this day-long exercise? There are a plethora of questions that bubble up when one thinks of the ritual much glorified by Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra brand of films.
In a survey, conducted by Shaadi.com, the matchmaking platform, to understand the perspective of men and women on fasting, majority of the women were inclined towards it because of their love.
The poll was conducted online and there were 7,533 respondents, both Indian men and women in the age group of 21 to 50 years.
For 67 per cent women, fasting was an expression of love, 25 per cent said that it was ‘a tradition,’ while the eight per cent of them said that it was due to ‘societal pressure.’
Whereas, men’s mindset turned out to be completely different on the same, showing a clear disparity.
When men were asked about why do they think their partners fast for them, 55 per cent believed that it is due to the ‘tradition’, 32 per cent called it “an expression of love,” while 13 per cent said it was because of “societal pressure.”
To further understand the divide of opinions, women were asked if they would like to be reciprocated in terms of their fasting gesture. Around 75 per cent agreed and 25 per cent refused. When men were asked the same question, 92 per cent wanted to reciprocate the gesture.
Women were then asked about the manner of reciprocation from the partners as to how would they want their husbands to return it. Around 76 per cent women wanted their partners to be fasting with them, followed by 18 per cent who said, “cooking for me,” while the remaining six per cent went with spending quality time and said, “Taking the day off to spend quality time together.” When men were asked, “If your partner is fasting, how would you like to reciprocate the gesture?”
The answers were equally amazing again. Over 62 per cent men were willing to “taking a day off to spend quality time with their partners, followed by 29 per cent who said “fasting with her.” The remaining nine per cent said “cooking for her.”