UPSC SOCIOLOGY MAINS SYLLABUS
Paper 2 – Section C – Social Change in India.
(vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:
a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
c) Violence against women.
d) Caste conflicts.
e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.
INTRODUCTION
The law prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevent the abuse of minors.
Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom.
LAWS ASSOCIATED WITH MARRIAGEABLE AGE IN INDIA
For Hindus, The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom. In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.
The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men, respectively. For the new age of marriage to be implemented, these laws are expected to be amended.
JAYA JAITLY COMMITTEE
In June 2020, the Ministry for Women and Child Development set up a task force to look into the correlation between the age of marriage with issues of women’s nutrition, prevalence of anemia, IMR, MMR and other social indices. The committee was to look at the feasibility of increasing the age of marriage and its implication on women and child health, as well as how to increase access to education for women. The committee has recommended the age of marriage be increased to 21 years.
PROS OF RAISING AGE OF MARRIAGE
Many girls are forced to drop out of studies for marriage. So, making the minimum legal age for marriage as 21 will allow them to continue their studies.
Teenage pregnancies increase the risk of high blood pressure, anaemia and several other health problems. So, raising the age of marriage for girls can reduce the chance of maternal mortality.
Early marriages result in several mental health issues in many girls.
This move can be stated as a step towards gender neutrality.
Raising the minimum legal age for marriage can empower women and can help them in achieving financial independence before marriage.
WHY RAISING LEGAL AGE OF MARRIAGE IS NOT NECESSARY?
After the pandemic, the number of child marriages increased significantly. So, the problem lies in the implementation. Hence the law alone cannot bring a change in society without the proper implementation. Root causes should be addressed before bringing a law.
The age of 18 years is considered a legal adult in India. Raising marriageable legal age alone is a discrepancy.
As per the government data of 2017, the average age of marriage for women has already increased to 22.1 years. So change can be voluntary.
CONCLUSION
One needs to understand the core societal issue. Girls need to get equal opportunities in terms of health, education, and living. Bringing in more women to the workforce like South Korea and Japan can also help to improve gender imbalance and solve issues of early marriages.
