HER OWN COMPASS: WOMEN REDEFINING INDEPENDENCE

Across cities, workplaces, and online communities, a quiet cultural shift is reshaping how women view their independence and solitude.

- RITIKA GOSWAMI

More women now travel solo, live alone, grow alone - not to escape society but as an intentional recalibration of their emotional and personal priorities. The trend is most visible among young urban professionals, but it cuts across demographics: solitude has finally become a source of self-determination.

For decades, women who chose to travel or live alone were framed by a lens of worry, curiosity, or judgment. The narrative is shifting. Solitude is now no longer treated as a phase or a sign of incompleteness; it is increasingly recognised as a conscious lifestyle choice-a way for women to step away from the noise of expectation and rediscover clarity.

Research across global well-being surveys shows that women experience higher levels of emotional fatigue; largely a product of balancing work pressures with the disproportionate emotional labour expected at home. In response, many are rejecting the unwritten social rule that a woman's time must be constantly accessible or accounted for.

And then, solitude is much more than quiet: it's a place where a woman can hear herself think without any interruptions. It serves as a restart in some instances psychologically, emotionally, and even sometimes physically.