В Индии опубликован первый всесторонний отчет о культуре согласия, выявляющий системные проблемы насилия и давления на женщин

What happens when a woman says "no"? That question sits at the heart of a new nationwide study from the India Today Group and Durex, The Birds and Bees Talk (TBBT), which seeks to measure a subject that has long remained under-researched in India: consent culture. Titled the India Today-Durex Birds and Bees Talk Consent Culture Report: Awareness, Equity, Inclusion and Protection, the study is positioned as India's first comprehensive primary research dedicated exclusively to women's lived experiences of consent. Rather than examining attitudes in isolation, it explores how consent is understood, negotiated, respected and, in many cases, overridden across relationships, families, workplaces and public spaces. The report forms an independent analytical subset of the India Today Group's flagship Gross Domestic Behaviour (GDB) Survey, extending its scope into one of the least measured aspects of social behaviour. By focusing on women's experiences across diverse demographic groups, the study aims to provide empirical evidence where anecdotal conversations have traditionally dominated. The timing is significant. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, an average of 51 complaints related to crimes against women are filed every hour in India. While conversations around gender rights have become more visible in recent years, the report argues that misconceptions around consent, reinforced by social conditioning, cultural expectations and media narratives, continue to blur its meaning in everyday life. Measuring the gap between awareness and autonomy Conducted by CVoter between May 5 and May 20, 2026, using Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviewing, the survey covered 6,379 women aged 18 years and above across major districts in every Indian state. Interviews were conducted in 11 languages, with data weighted to reflect India's demographic profile. The survey reports a margin of error of plus or minus 3% at the macro level and plus or minus 5% for micro-level trends at a 95% confidence interval. One of the study's central findings is the disconnect between awareness and lived experience. The newly developed Consent Empowerment Index places respondents' understanding of consent at around 59 out of 100, while their actual experience of being able to exercise consent scores approximately 44, resulting in an overall score of around 52. The findings suggest that while awareness has improved, translating that awareness into autonomy remains a challenge. Nearly 79% of respondents agreed that "no means no" under all circumstances. Yet only 36% clearly recognised that consent given under pressure is not consent. A further 60% believed pressured agreement still constituted consent in some form, illustrating the complexity of how consent continues to be interpreted. The survey also found that direct refusal remains difficult for many women. While 56% said they explicitly say "no", 20% rely on indirect excuses and 21% admitted they often comply despite wanting to refuse. Consent remains conditional across multiple settings The report paints a broader picture of consent as something frequently negotiated rather than unequivocally respected. Only 36% of respondents said their decision to withdraw consent after initially agreeing to physical intimacy was respected. Even fewer, 28%, believed society considered changing one's mind during an intimate situation to be reasonable. Social consequences also influence behaviour. Among women who chose not to object after feeling uncomfortable or pressured, 43% cited a desire to maintain peace, while 75% believed women who firmly refuse advances or establish boundaries are negatively labelled by society. Within families, consent often encounters additional pressures. Only 38% reported that refusals directed towards elders or family members were respected. Others described attempts at persuasion or characterised refusal as disrespectful behaviour. The influence of tradition also surfaced prominently. More than a quarter, 28%, reported being pressured into physical gestures such as hugging, touching feet or sitting close under the banner of cultural expectations. Marriage presents another complex dimension. While 51% said they could refuse sex and have that refusal respected, 15% reported giving in because of emotional pressure or guilt. More concerningly, 17% of the total sample said they had been physically forced into intercourse by a husband or male partner when they did not want to. The findings also indicate growing public recognition of marital rape. Two-thirds of respondents believed rape can occur within marriage, while 75% supported some form of legal recognition, with 32% favouring explicit criminalisation and another 43% supporting legal recognition accompanied by safeguards against misuse. Public spaces, workplaces and the digital world Beyond intimate relationships, the study identifies persistent consent challenges across public, professional and digital environments. Nearly 48% reported experiencing unwanted touching or invasive physical contact in public spaces, while 70% said they alter their routes, timings, clothing or behaviour to avoid potential harassment. Confidence in intervention remains limited. Only 37% believed bystanders would actively support them if they spoke out against harassment. Workplaces present another area of concern. 36% reported receiving uncomfortable pressure or unwanted attention from someone in a position of authority, while an identical proportion said a superior ignored their discomfort and proceeded regardless. The ability to refuse work-related requests also appears constrained. Only 44% felt comfortable declining unsafe requests, while others feared professional repercussions or believed refusal was not possible. The report further notes that only 32% experienced meaningful workplace consent policies or training, with 36% describing existing measures as little more than formalities. Online interactions reflect similar patterns. More than a quarter received unwanted explicit images or sexual messages, almost one in four experienced online stalking or harassment, and one-third encountered sexually suggestive comments that they found offensive. Education as a key solution While the report documents significant behavioural challenges, it also highlights broad public support for preventive interventions. Only 54% said they had received any formal education about consent and personal boundaries during school or college. Yet 86% supported making consent education mandatory, with the largest group recommending that it begin between the ages of 10 and 14. Respondents also prioritised social change over purely punitive measures. 65% identified better parenting and teaching boys to respect women as an effective way to reduce crimes against women, compared with 58% who supported harsher punishments. Families, schools and colleges emerged as the institutions respondents believed should play the most significant role in building a stronger culture of consent. Taken together, the findings present a detailed portrait of a society where awareness of consent is growing, but the ability to exercise it consistently remains shaped by family expectations, workplace hierarchies, social pressure and institutional shortcomings. As one of the first datasets of its kind, the report offers policymakers, educators and organisations fresh evidence to inform future conversations around consent, autonomy and gender equity in India.