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Will raising legal age of marriage to 21 empower Indian women?.
Will raising legal age of marriage to 21 empower Indian women?.
Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the minimum age for bride is 18 years and 21 years for groom. The Islamic law allows marriage of a girl if she has attained puberty.
The union government had set up the Jaya Jaitly committee to study the feasibility of raising the age of marriage and its implication on women and child health.
Benefits of raising marriageable age
- Gender equality
The decision to make 18 years as minimum age for women and 21 for boys was criticized for inequality. Keeping age at 21 for both groups will be acceptable.
- Reduce early pregnancy
Early marriages promote early pregnancy. The body of the girl is not developed enough to handle physical and mental challenges associated with pregnancy.
- Prevent malnutrition
Early pregnancy and birth will result in malnutrition situation in both the mother and child. Maternal mortality and child mortality rates are bound to increase.
- Promote higher education
Early marriage age acts as barrier for higher education in women. Raising the age bar gives them additional years to pursue higher studies and contribute towards nation’s economy.
Concerns
- Criminalize marginalized communities
The law has the potential to negatively impact marginalised communities, such as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. They get branded as criminals.
- Religious issues
All religions do not have uniform age for marriage. The Muslim community will feel their religious rights have been encroached if uniform rules come into existence.
Thus, the rising concerns among certain groups have to be addressed. Financial support has to be given for increasing enrollment of girls in higher education.
Read more @ -
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/should-the-age-of-marriage-for-women-be-raised-to-21/article32517084.ece
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/increasing-marriage-age-for-girls-may-only-strengthen-patriarchy/
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