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Divorce rates in India are rising more and more these days, something that was once considered taboo but is now slowly becoming accepted in various pockets of the country. Though many see this transformation as a mark of growing independence and awareness about personal rights, a recent viral video unearthed a raging controversy over the question of whether, nowadays, some misuse divorce laws in the name of self-interest.
Woman in Viral Clip Talks Openly About Using Divorce to Gain Money
A video making the rounds on X (formerly Twitter) has drawn widespread attention and criticism. In the clip, an interviewer casually asks a woman about the most toxic thing she has ever done. The woman, who says she has been separated four times, responds without hesitation, “Take them (husbands) to court and then get a good divorce lawyer, of course. Take him for half of the retirement. Take half of their property. And, then, fight them for higher child support.”
Trend catching up really well in India too pic.twitter.com/R20itBkhnR
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) April 18, 2025
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She continues by explaining her strategy, “And, a couple of years from now, hit you up for more child support. Every three years, you go up from maybe USD 200 (around INR 17,000) and go up to USD 2,000 (INR 1.70 lakh) per child.”
Online Reactions Reflect Widespread Concern
The video quickly went viral after being posted online, gaining more than 6.8 lakh views on X. Its caption read: “Trend catching up really well in India too,” suggesting that similar cases of misusing divorce for financial benefit are becoming more common in the country.
As expected, the clip triggered a wave of strong reactions from social media users in India. Many people expressed concern and even anger over the woman’s words.
One user wrote, “Indian Women are more evil than that woman.” Another commented, “This is why marriage is so scary. All they are doing is adopting Western culture and making life miserable for the person and his loved ones.”
There were others who echoed similar sentiments, calling the mindset dangerous. “Marriage is becoming scary due to this kind of mentality,” a user remarked, while another added, “Due to such people, people will stop marrying soon; this is really concerning.”
Someone else noted the hypocrisy in the system:
“What I don’t get is, that on one side they scream that they are equal to men and demand equal status. But when it comes to divorce, they suddenly become helpless and start squeezing the men for alimony, property, and child support. It’s plain greed for money.”
More Indians Choosing Divorce, Especially in Rural Areas
The viral video has brought back the focus on India’s rising divorce numbers. A recent study by Moneycontrol, based on data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey, revealed that more Indians are divorcing now than they were seven years ago. And while the increase in urban areas was expected, what stood out was the growing rate of separation in rural regions.
In rural India, the percentage of women who are divorced or separated has gone up. Meanwhile, in cities, the number of divorced men rose from 0.3% to 0.5%, and for women, it increased from 0.6% to 0.7% over the same period.
Experts believe that changing mindsets, better education, financial independence, and less social stigma are contributing factors. However, videos like the one now going viral also raise concerns about whether divorce laws meant to protect women are being misused by a few.
A Growing Social Debate
While many people sympathize with women who are genuinely victims in difficult marriages, this viral video has created space for a different conversation — one that questions how far the system can be pushed before it backfires.
Certain netizens have suggested that divorce laws should be more stringent and under better scrutiny to ensure justice is delivered in a fair way, such that no one uses the law for their personal advantage.
With the increasing number of divorces in Indian society, the border between seeking justice and abusing the system remains arguably the most sensitive and debated issue ever. “There’s no immediate end in sight.”
