Second Chances Are Blessing: Five Millennial Women On Finding Love After Divorce

After separating from her ex-husband, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Aaliya Siddiqui has found love again, and she is not shying away from letting the world know. Aaliya Siddiqui shared a cute photo with her mystery man on her Instagram handle on Monday.

In the caption, she wrote about how it had taken her 19 years to get out of the relationship that she treasured. She went on to explain that her children were and would always be her priority. However, she added that there were a few relationships that went beyond friendship. She shared that this was the same relationship and that she was very happy about it. She ended the caption by asking, "Don’t I have the right to be happy?"

Aaliya Siddiqui On Finding Love Again

That struck hard, didn’t it? Women finding love after divorce is largely frowned upon in our society. The criticism and judgement are stronger if she’s a mother. She is expected to dedicate the rest of her life to taking care of her children and forget that she’s an individual who deserves to have a happy life of her own. Women are shamed if they dare to find love again and are called uncultured and bad mothers.

But when men get divorced, most often society is fine with them finding love again. In fact, society urges them to do so. Why the double standard, though? Don’t women deserve to be happy? What is it with the insane belief that women who find love after divorce and prioritise their happiness do not love their children enough? Being a mother is one part of a woman’s life, and wanting to have a partner to share her life with is another.

Finding Love After Divorce

Women are beyond being just mothers, and it’s their right to value and prioritise their happiness. Let’s hear what millennial women have to say about this.

Talking about the double standards in society, Subashini Sreeram, an IT professional and single mother, pointed out how male actors in the same film industry, or society for that matter, are never called out when they find love after divorce. But when it’s a woman, people’s perspectives change completely. So what if a woman is divorced or a single mother? Why can’t she have the right to find love after divorce if it gives her the happiness that she deserves? Who is anyone to question her individual choice?"

"Humans crave love. At the end of the day, all of us want to have one person, a partner, to sit and talk to about the day, to love and be loved, to share life with," stated Lavanya Periyasamy, an IT professional and single mother. "Why shouldn’t women find love after divorce if that will give them happiness? Whether they choose to get married or not is a completely different story, but wanting to have a partner to share life with is a fair ask. It’s irrational for society to associate shame with women giving love a second chance," she said.

Vidya Dakshinamoorthy, a relationship and life coach, explained that happiness is a choice. "When happiness comes to you in a way you've never felt before, it opens up a new dimension in life.

"Finding love after divorce is such a huge blessing because it not only gives you a second chance at love, but with the right partner, it also helps you heal," remarked Vidya, who is now happily remarried.

"It's nice to find someone after divorce. It’s completely acceptable for women to move on after a divorce with the right person. It’s just the patriarchal mindset of society that makes some people look down upon women who move on. But women can’t let regressive social norms hold them back from being happy," said Priya Rajendran, a single mother and writer.

Highlighting how it’s very human to fall in and out of love, entrepreneur and single mother Deepika Angannan said, "Getting divorced doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t fall in love again. Patriarchal societies have just created the notion that women shouldn’t give themselves a second chance at love post-divorce. As long as you’ve healed and are ready to get into another relationship, it’s completely your choice and right to find love after divorce."

Suggested Reading: Divorce Is Not A Dead-End: Keep Falling In love

Image Credits: Aaliya Siddiqui via Instagram

Views expressed by the author are their own