Two studies done at different times in two different parts of Maharashtra on women who have been forced out of the marital home or chose to walk out due to violence, show that women’s expectations from marriage and tolerance for violence have changed. The men and their families on the other hand continue to behave in regressive and patriarchal ways while expecting the women to conform to traditional norms of the “good wife and mother”. It is also clear that given their increasing numbers and plight, the state government can no longer afford to neglect these women. At the same time, women’s rights organisations and civil society must join them in helping to build a culture of resistance.