The Evolution of Kitty Parties

Women have come a long way in the last few decades. This change is evident in all walks of life. One prime example is the kitty party that used to be a popular activity for housewives in their 40s. Today, the term kitty party has grown to include younger women and even husbands/boyfriends. But what exactly is a kitty party and what does it involve? The group involved in the kitty part put in a certain amount every month and get together at a convenient venue. Over gossip, card games, snacks, drinks and maybe a meal at the end, they spend time socializing. At the end of the party, a draw of lots is done to select one name from the group who would get the kitty for that month. Let’s say there are 10 participants who put in Rs. 10000 every month. The kitty for every month then becomes Rs. 1 lakh, and one of those 10 persons would get that amount every month. That is the money part of it, but a kitty party is more about the socializing. Over the years, there have been many changes in the way kitty parties are organized. The first change is in the Kitty Party Venue in Gurgaon. Earlier the group used to meet at the home of one of the participants. The venue was quite informal, and the food served used to be mostly homemade. The participants used to enjoy simple card games or Tambola or just chat with each other. But today most kitty parties are organized in party venues in Gurgaon. The venue also provides the food and drink, and sometimes also arranges for games and activities. Needless to say, there has been a steep increase in the prices involved in organizing such events. Along with the increased cost of hosting these events, the amount of the kitty has also shot up, in keeping with the increased status of the get-together. Earlier the monthly contribution of each member was two to three thousand usually, but now the contributions are usually in five figures. Apart from the increased ability of participants to pay these amounts, there is one more reason for this. Like we said earlier, kitty parties now do not involve only the wives who do not have their own income but use their husband’s money instead. Most women today have their own jobs, so they are able to afford bigger kitties. Not only has the average age of participating women come down, but even men have begun to be part of kitties. One more change that is seen in many kitty parties is that it might not always be cash that is pooled into the kitty. Many groups have now moved on to gold. Each participant brings in 2-3 grams of gold every month, which means that the winner of that month can get 10-20 grams of gold instead of cash. Since gold is a good long term investment, many kitties consider it a better play than cash which can get spent needlessly. Finally, one more variant of kitty parties are also becoming popular, which is to go to an outdoor venue instead of someone’s house or even a hotel and also organized in Party Venues in Gurgaon. It helps members spend some time outdoors away from the closed spaces of offices and homes.