ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
American woman challenges stigma faced by single mothers in India
The viral video challenges warnings to an NRI daughter, arguing renting in India is not a major hurdle for single mothers.
-
1759163132.png)
Anushka Pathak - Wed, 10, Dec 2025
- 12:48 EST
- 13
Dana Marie, a Bengaluru resident, in her viral video / Courtesy: @danamarieplus3/Instagram
A video posted by an American woman living in Bengaluru, India, has drawn attention online after she disputed claims that single mothers In India face major barriers in securing rental housing.
The post, shared by Dana Marie, was in response to a conversation she said she overheard, in which a mother advised her NRI single-parent daughter in Toronto not to move back to India due to “too much stigma” and the belief that she “won’t even be able to get a lease” without a husband.
In the video, the American, who is currently a Bengaluru resident, said her recent housing search offered a sharply different picture. “Out of the eight homes that I saw, five were owned by women,” she said, adding that one was owned by a single mother.
Also Read: Third-world immigration causes ‘societal collapse,’ says Indian American influencer
Marie noted that “not a single person cared that I did not have a husband to sign the lease” and that her marital status “didn’t even get a second thought.”
She directed part of her message to the Toronto-based woman, urging her not to dismiss the option of returning. “Girl, come, come,” she said. “You’re gonna get house help. You’re gonna have a community. You’re gonna be able to have somebody help cook your food. Life is good here, okay?”
In the caption, she addressed comments suggesting her experience might be shaped by her race. “Before anyone says it’s only because I am white, this is the experience of my Indian single mom friends too,” she wrote.
She stated that all eight properties she was accepted for had women owners, noting that “there are tax credits if a property is owned by a woman, so a lot of couples put it solely in the woman’s name.”
Marie added that while stigma around single motherhood has not disappeared entirely, “getting a place to live certainly isn’t one of them.” She said dating and marriage acceptance may vary.
The video has broadened online conversation about the shifting realities for single mothers in urban India, where increased women’s property ownership and changing social dynamics are reshaping assumptions about housing access and family norms.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login