“You Won’t Survive in India as a Single Mom”: American in Bengaluru Reacts as Woman Warns NRI Daughter

An American living in Bengaluru responds to a viral warning given to an NRI daughter that single mothers cannot survive in India, sharing her experience of easily finding rental homes owned by women, including single mothers.

A remark allegedly made by a woman to her NRI daughter, warning her that she would not survive in India as a single mother, has sparked a wider conversation online after an American living in Bengaluru shared her personal experience on the subject. In a video posted on Instagram, the foreign national said that her real-life experiences in the city have been very different from the stereotype often associated with single motherhood in India. She revealed that while searching for rental accommodation, she found that many properties were actually owned by women, including single mothers.

American Shares Her Experience Of House-Hunting In Bengaluru

The American, identified as Dana Marie, said she was surprised to discover that most of the properties she visited while searching for a home were owned by women. She explained that she viewed both apartments and independent villas during her search and was accepted as a tenant at several locations.

“Before anyone says its only because I am white, this is the experience of my Indian single mom friends too. These 8 properties are just the places that I seriously considered and was accepted for. I saw both apartments and freestanding villas. One of the villas was owned by a single mom. Another 4 properties were owned by married women but the property was solely in their name,” Dana Marie wrote.

Property Ownership Often In Women’s Names: Dana Marie

Dana further explained that there are tax benefits when a property is registered in a woman’s name, which is why many couples choose to do so. She added that while social stigma towards single mothers may still exist in some areas of life, finding a place to live has not been a problem in her experience.

She continued, “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. Now I am not saying there aren't any stigmas at all with being a single mother in India but getting a place to live certainly isn't one of them.”

Marriage Prospects May Still Be A Challenge

However, she acknowledged that while housing may not be a major issue, social challenges could arise in other areas of life. 

According to her, dating with the intention of marriage could still be difficult due to traditional family expectations.

“Dating seriously to the point of marriage though, she might have issues with in india when it comes to his parents approval. If thats goal maybe stay in Canada. Obviously that is just a generalization from what I have seen. I have also seen single moms remarry with lighting speed here so it really depends I guess.”

How Did Social Media React?

One user commented: “I think her parents are stuck in 1990s.This is 2026 and except money nobody cares even tier II or III cities.”

Second user commented:” I mean the mother probably was more concerned about comments from her old relatives and her friends than society in general. In NCR, literally no stigma attached with being single moms..”