Background
Gender discrimination continues to exist across societies and unequally impacts women. These experiences could shape individuals’ future choices and perspectives, including their views on marriage and overall well-being, underscoring the need to understand these factors among young unmarried women in the Indian context. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the roles of gender discrimination, marital attitudes, perceived choice, and self-awareness in flourishing among young unmarried Indian women. Further, we examined the independent moderating roles of perceived choice and self-awareness on the relationship between marital attitude and flourishing.

Methods
A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted, and standardized self-report measures of the variables were used to collect data via an online survey. The data were collected from 514 unmarried young Indian women aged 18–30 years.

Results
Experiences of gender discrimination by parents reduced flourishing among young unmarried women (β = − 0.105, 95% CI [− 0.191, − 0.018]), whereas positive marital attitudes, perceived choice, and self-awareness were positively associated with flourishing. The results of path analysis indicated a negative role of gender discrimination in marital attitude, while awareness of self (β = 0.221, 95% CI [ 0.121, 0.319]) predicted higher flourishing, and self-awareness did not act as a moderator between marital attitude and flourishing . In the model with perceived choice as a moderator, positive marital attitude (β = 0.088, 95% CI = [0.002, 0.173]) and perceived choice (β = 0.216, 95% CI = [0.128, 0.301]) predicted higher levels of flourishing, though perceived choice did not act as a significant moderator.

Conclusion
Gender discrimination has negative implications for women’s well-being and marital attitudes, while perceived choice and self-awareness can play a protective role. Addressing gender discrimination is crucial for promoting self-awareness, perceived choice, marital attitude, and flourishing among young unmarried women.