Why "Situationships" Are Leaving India's Working Women More Confused Than Ever

**MUMBAI -** A new kind of relationship status is quietly reshaping how India's urban professionals date - and it doesn't come with a label. Somewhere between "just talking" and "in a relationship" sits the *situationship*: an undefined romantic arrangement with the intimacy of a partnership but none of the clarity, commitment or accountability.

For India's working women - many of whom are navigating demanding careers, financial independence and evolving family expectations - the trend is proving especially disorienting, relationship experts say.

## A Dating Culture Without Definitions

Once a term confined to dating-app slang, "situationship" has become one of the most searched relationship phrases among Indian millennials and Gen Z over the past two years, according to multiple dating-app trend reports. Apps such as Hinge and Bumble have flagged it in their own annual dating trend surveys as a defining pattern among urban Indian users.

Unlike a traditional relationship, a situationship typically involves:

- Regular romantic or physical intimacy without a defined label
- Avoidance of conversations about exclusivity or future plans
- Emotional investment on one side that often goes unmatched
- Ambiguity that can stretch on for months, sometimes years

For working women balancing high-pressure careers with a ticking social clock around marriage, this ambiguity isn't just inconvenient - it's psychologically costly.

## Why Ambitious Women Are More Vulnerable to the Confusion

According to Mumbai-based relationship coach Rohit J. Bhandarii https://rohitjbhandarii.com/, founder of *Mind Your Love*, the professional women he works with are disproportionately drawn into - and hurt by - situationships, not because they lack self-awareness, but because of how they were conditioned to succeed.
"Most of the women I coach are exceptional at their jobs. They negotiate, they lead, they make decisions worth crores every day," Bhandarii said. "But in their personal lives, they've been taught to be patient, accommodating and understanding - even when a man refuses to define what's happening between them. That mismatch is exactly where situationships thrive."
Bhandarii, who has coached over 2,000 women across 20+ countries over the past seven years, says the pattern is rarely about a woman "settling for less." It's about a deeper, often unconscious belief that clarity is something to be grateful for rather than something to expect.
"A situationship doesn't confuse women because they're naïve," he said. "It confuses them because it exploits their strength - their ability to wait, adapt and hope things will eventually make sense."

## The Data Behind the Trend

Industry data suggests the shift is structural, not anecdotal:

- India's online dating and matrimony market has grown steadily over the past five years, with dating-app usage among working professionals rising sharply post-pandemic, according to multiple industry market reports.
- Surveys by major dating platforms operating in India have repeatedly found that a majority of urban daters have either been in, or are currently in, a relationship they would describe as undefined or non-exclusive.
- Mental health and coaching platforms have reported a rise in enquiries related to "dating anxiety," "mixed signals" and "emotional unavailability" - themes closely tied to situationship dynamics - particularly among women aged 26-38 in metro cities.

Coaches and therapists attribute the rise to a combination of app-driven dating fatigue, delayed marriage timelines, and a cultural gap between traditional relationship expectations and modern dating behaviour.

## From Confusion to Clarity: What's Changing

Bhandarii's coaching philosophy - built on relationship psychology, emotional healing and practical dating strategy - centres on helping women identify ambiguity early rather than waiting for it to resolve itself.

**Key shifts he says are essential for women navigating today's dating landscape:**

- Recognising the difference between chemistry and commitment
- Setting a defined timeline for clarity in early dating stages
- Learning to ask direct questions without fear of "scaring someone off"
- Rebuilding self-worth so clarity feels like a standard, not a demand
- Choosing partners who match emotional availability, not just attraction

"I don't tell women to walk away from every undefined connection," Bhandarii noted. "I tell them to walk in with a standard. The moment a woman knows her worth isn't up for negotiation, situationships lose their grip."

## A Familiar Story, With a Different Ending

Coaches describe a familiar arc among clients: a successful professional woman, several months into an undefined relationship, uncertain whether to invest further or step back - caught between hope and self-doubt.
Through structured coaching - addressing underlying patterns, rebuilding confidence and developing direct communication skills - many such women report reaching clarity within a matter of weeks, either by having an honest conversation that defines the relationship or by recognising it wasn't offering what they deserved and choosing to move on.
"The goal was never to 'fix' the man in the situationship," Bhandarii said of the broader pattern he sees. "It's to help the woman see her own value clearly enough that ambiguity simply stops being acceptable to her."

## The Road Ahead

As dating apps continue to dominate how urban India meets romantic partners, experts expect situationships to remain a defining - and often frustrating - feature of the modern dating landscape, particularly for career-focused women balancing independence with the desire for a lasting partnership.
For Bhandarii, the conversation is part of a larger mission. "Modern dating has given women more options than ever, but not necessarily more clarity," he said. "My work is about helping ambitious women bring the same clarity to their love lives that they've already built in every other part of their lives."

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## About Rohit J. Bhandarii / Mind Your Love

Rohit J. Bhandarii is a Mumbai-based relationship and dating coach for ambitious single women, and founder of *Mind Your Love*, a coaching platform he runs with co-founder Akshita R. Bhandarii. Over more than seven years and 5,000+ coaching hours, Bhandarii has worked with over 2,000 women across 20+ countries, blending relationship psychology, emotional healing and practical dating strategy. Mind Your Love offers online coaching programs, workshops and community events, including its first in-person retreat held in 2026.

**Media & PR Contact:**
[Rohit J Bhandarii]
Email: hello.rohitbhandari@gmail.com
Website: https://rohitjbhandarii.com/
Mobile: 8591024349

Rohit J Bhandarii
Address: Navjivan Commercial Premises, Lamington Rd, Navjeevan Society, Dalal Estate, Mumbai Central, Mumbai-400008
Email: hello.rohitbhandari@gmail.com
Website: https://rohitjbhandarii.com/
Mobile: 8591024349

Rohit J Bhandarii is a relationship coach who works primarily with ambitious single women, helping them attract high-value, compatible partners and build emotionally connected relationships.

This release was published on openPR.