Brands
44 per cent of women ignored this red flag in marriage. Never again: Rebounce
MUMBAI: Divorce was once seen as a full stop. Today, for many Indians, it feels more like a well-timed pause before a smarter restart.
A new study by Rebounce, an Indian matchmaking and matrimony app focused on second chances, suggests that divorced singles are returning to dating with clearer eyes and firmer boundaries. According to the research, three in five divorced daters say they now have deal breakers that did not exist during their first marriage.
Conducted among 5,834 divorced or separated singles aged 27 to 40 across tier 1, 2 and 3 cities, the study paints a picture of a dating pool shaped by experience rather than fantasy. These new expectations are not lofty wish lists. They are, as many respondents put it, survival skills learned the hard way.
Rebounce founder and CEO Ravi Mittal, said the shift is unmistakable. “People are no longer willing to settle or compromise for the sake of it. Second chances today are driven by clarity and intentional compatibility. Divorced singles know what failed, what hurt, and they are determined not to repeat the same patterns.”
Emotional availability is no longer optional
At the top of the new red-flag list sits emotional unavailability. Nearly 44 percent of women and 32 percent of men from metros and suburbs admitted they had ignored it earlier, blaming busy schedules, work pressure or the comfort of long marriages.
That excuse no longer holds. Many now believe emotional presence is a choice, not a luxury.
“Silence is not strength,” says Tarini, 35, from Mumbai. “Staying quietly with an emotionally unavailable partner damages both your mental health and your marriage. I understand that now.”
The study shows that divorced daters pay close attention to communication patterns, response times and whether actions align with words. Rajeev, a 38-year-old paediatrician, explains it simply. “Slow replies are fine. We are adults with full lives. But inconsistency and detachment are not. I am not doing the emotional heavy lifting alone again.”
Money talk, minus the awkwardness
If money once felt like an uncomfortable subject, second-time daters are bringing it up early and plainly. Six in ten respondents between 30 and 40 said financial transparency is essential, not to judge income levels, but to understand responsibility.
Secret debts, reckless spending and financial showmanship have become instant deal breakers.
“It is not about being money-minded,” says Samira, 33, from Delhi. “It is about knowing how a partner’s financial habits affect your life. I earn my own living. I do not need a provider. I need honesty and someone who lives within his means.”
No more laughing off disrespect
Subtle disrespect is another line that divorced daters refuse to cross again. 31 per cent of women over 30 reported experiencing dismissive behaviour in their first marriage, often disguised as jokes or casual comments.
Being talked over, mocked for emotions or labelled an overthinker now triggers an immediate exit.
“My tolerance has dropped sharply,” says Paromita, 38, from Kolkata. “I do not want a man who thinks respect is optional.”
Taken together, the findings suggest that modern second-chance dating is less about butterflies and more about balance. Divorced singles are not cynical. They are simply wiser, clearer and far less willing to ignore the small things that once grew into big regrets.
In today’s dating landscape, it seems the second chapter may be shorter on compromise, but far richer in self-respect.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
