Title: Socio-economic Differentials in Age at Marriage in India
Abstract: Nuptiality pattern assumes great significance due to its demographic, social and economic effects, particularly in countries with prevalence of early and universal marriage. Marital age has become the focus of attention of scholars and policy makers because early marriage contributes to high fertility and population growth and has adverse effects on health of the women, infants and children. In countries where reproduction takes place only in the wedlock, the marriage marks the beginning of socially sanctioned exposure to pregnancy and sets the course of subsequent child bearing. From a demographic perspective, early marriage lengthens the duration of the period in which a women is at risk of getting pregnant. Thus, in the absence of contraception, marriage is an important proximate determinant of fertility (Bongaarts and Potter, 1983). It has been found that “an increase of about five years in the average age at marriage in a population will lead to a little over 20 per cent decline in the fertility rate in that population” (Leasure, 1963). Child and adolescent marriages lead to higher levels of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Early marriages of girls deprive them from education, employment opportunities, and responsible attitude towards health, contraception and child birth. It has been observed that “there is a much higher proportion of superior status jobs occupied by women who married late because women who married late in life are generally better established in their careers than those who marry early” (Savitridina, 1997). Consequently, age at marriage is inextricably linked to the status of women.
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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