New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to raise the legal age for marriage of women carry “enormous” economic and social gains for the world’s second-most populous nation, according to the State Bank of India.
The benefits range from lowering maternal deaths and improving nutrition levels in the near term to putting more girls in college and enabling women to achieve greater financial independence in the long-term, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, an economist with SBI, wrote in a report to clients Thursday.
“This is clear from the data,” Ghosh said. “The working age population increases with high marriage age.”
While the mean female marriage age in India is already above 21 years, about 35% of are married before then, with the current legal limit at 18 years, according to SBI. India is home to every third child bride in the world, with more than 100 million getting married even before turning 15, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Marriage at a young age means not even a quarter of women in India get into the labor force despite accounting for almost half of the 1.3 billion population. Women earn 35% less on average than men, compared to the global average of a 16% gap.
A government panel is looking at the right marriageable age for women in India, with Modi saying a decision would be taken soon. This would be the first revision in more than four decades and put India in the league of Asian peers such as China, Japan and Singapore.
The marriage age for women in India might be raised to 21 years, the same as for men, according to Ghosh, who sees the number of women graduates rising as much as 7 percentage points from 9.8% at present.
“The move will have other legal and psychological benefits also,” Ghosh said. “Any ground-level change will only happen when the psyche of people alter.”- Bloomberg
Also read: ‘Marriage will protect our rights, affirm commitment’ — why same-sex couple moved Delhi HC
please raise the age….each and every girls have not interested to live between the four wall!
Please…..it’s urgent?
18 age is perfect for girls marriage. Otherwise we have to suicide if you increase the age limit to 21.please don’t change age limit let it be 18 .
18 is only correct
Maam plz increase the age and make it to 21 yrs because the girls are getting married early at the age of 18 plz do support them
Don’t rise it is most effective to lover and girls freedom .so pz don’t rise .. and u will rise tha girls age 18 to 21 and u will do voting powers girls aslo do 21 age ..so pz don’t rise that’ girls age 18 is correct age to marrage. …tq
Girls age.21.men marriage age.26.correctby.fr.moses.j.
Please don’t raise the age of girls .It is our right to marry anyone at anytime.We need freedom. Raising age in girls cause more issues in the society because in India most of the teenagers wait to do sex after marriage so if the age will increase it can cause a rise in sexual harassment towards girls and most of the will abort the children or else most of children will become offen. So please concern about all the Indian citizens personal interest.
In Western nations… In teenage youngsters do everything regarding sex and then they devote to study here in India youngsters are required by society to wait for sex until they marry… This is the problem. We need freedom of taking decisions And also more open society.
No.don’t raise it…we need some freedom for those decisions……it should be our Rights to marry someone at any time.
No don’t raise it we need some freedom for those decisions it should be our Rights to marry someone at any time
Pls tell me that really age of girl to marry will increase or not pls pls it’s urgent
Marriage age for woman 18years is right age..don’t raise age limits
Will the age really be raised its urgent please reply me
I thik givernment should read all aspect then take any final statment toward marriage age specially in rural areas parents force to do marriage and girls have to marriage and lows force to childbirth girls have no right to do if she is not independent and girls living her life accourding to family and husband order which is not good
So i request to government to make low for for the wellfare of girls
So they complite thers ug and pg and search good job and live life with freedom and solution
? thanku
yes…it a very good decision for girls so that they can also complete their study and dreams till 21 and will be equal to boys i agrre with that decision . it might can provide some awarness in so called the parents and family who dosent belive in girls dream study and their power……bcz of this girls looses their self respect and its really important to have self respect even girls can get much matture till 121 years old as the boys are mattured and then only the all rights for men and women will be eqal no diffferntiation
It’s bad law ,it’s can make only innocent boys in to jail , people like to marrying and live goverment refusing that chance too , understand marriage is not a custom it’s have many other biological side things ,if it increases people go in more frustration only..
I am agree with the age of 21 fir girls. But never increase boy age… It want be equal.. Both want same age. 21 want both to marry…. That’s good.
Super
Is a law necessary for everything????????? Why don’t people be given awareness of the consequences. Whatever law is made will be of no use until we can change the mindset of common people specially in rural areas. How strict Laws are still there will be loop hole to get out of it.
Suppose one gets married at 18 and go for marriage registration after the legal age then???
It is an basied law for girls because in today’s developing era everyone is aware about their own freedom so, I’m totally against this law as this will lead to increase in sexual harassment in both men as well as women Moreover it is also difficult for poor people in our country because they do not have enough income to give proper shelter nd two tym mile .Hence according to me it is 100% not fair for lover .
To tell the truth marriage should be raised to more than 21. Because 21 is the age were almost every girl graduates and search for job. But Indian parents would force them to marry as soon as they reach the age even before that girl stands on her own feet and be an independent woman. In many countries legal marriage age for woman is above 26. That allows them to create a future for themselves. I think that is the best age for getting married. It would be very great if government increased it into 26 for both men and women. At least they’ll be matured enough to handle a marriage at that age.
Very true
There is a section of society, primarily urban and cares for formal education and career, which already delays the marriage for the ladies. This law has no meaning for this section.
There is another section, primarily rural and where formal education and careers aren’t given the kind of importance that is needed. It would be quite difficult to enforce the law in this section of society.
The Govt could legislate and enhance the minimum age for marriage but it would be quite to difficult to enforce it.
The answer is education and social awareness and not a law!