Me, The Change: Young Women Voters Are Conservative but Ambitious

Data from the survey seems to show that India’s young women voters tend to be socially conservative.

The young women voter tends to be socially conservative but she is ambitious as well. 

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

The first-time woman voter has many aspects to her personality. She aspires to study more, dreams of a career and is willing to move for a job, the Lokniti-CSDS The Quint survey has shown. But data from the same survey, conducted as part of The Quint’s ‘Me, The Change’ campaign seems to show that India’s young women voters tend to be socially conservative.

The survey looks at the wants and aspirations of 5,000 first-time women voters in the country, with regard to aspects of life such as education, health, career and personal freedom.

Is There a Tendency to be Conservative?

According to the results of the survey, overall, 50 percent of women are inclined towards an arranged marriage, while only 13 percent are likely to go for a love marriage.

The first-time woman voter is also conservative when it comes to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, with 37 percent of women feeling that the former is wrong. Forty-nine percent of woman said they felt inter-religious marriage is wrong, while only 24 percent said such a marriage works.

As far as dating is concerned, the women’s approach seems conservative. Overall, 43 percent of women feel that dating before marriage is wrong and 23 percent said that they consider it a good option.

Forward-Looking When it Comes to Career

Despite being socially conservative with respect to issues of marriage, the first-time woman voter appears to be ambitious.

Overall, 59 percent women said they think working after marriage is the right thing to do, while only 15 percent women consider it wrong.