Laws restraining the practice of child marriage have been in force in India since 1929.
According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1978, the minimum legal age of marriage stands at 18 years for women and 21 years for men. Yet, the practice of marrying below the minimum legal age continues to be widespread. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data showed, in 2005-06, fertility in the 15-19 age group accounted for 14 per cent of total fertility in urban areas and 18 per cent in rural areas. Early pregnancies have associated risks for young mothers as well as infants, especially where access to health facilities is inadequate. Of course, early marriages also have social implications for women’s empowerment — the plight of young girls who are widowed and left with children to support has been well documented in the media.
The NFHS-3 data showed that though the median age at first marriage has been rising over the years, the progress is still very slow. The median age at first marriage is almost two years higher for women aged 20-24 years than for women aged 45-49 years. There is also a clear link between education and age at the time of marriage — there is a a seven-year difference in the median age at the time of marriage between women aged 25-49 with no education and women with at least 12 years of education. In addition, income or wealth bracket is also a significant determinant — women in the age group 25-49 in the highest wealth quintile marry over four years later than women in the lowest wealth quintile. (Click here for graph)
| WEDLOG Median age in years at first marriage among women with current age 25-49 years in India (NFHS-3, 2005-06) | |
| Education | |
| No education | 15.4 |
| <5 years of schooling | 16.5 |
| 5-7 years of schooling complete | 17.1 |
| 8-9 years of schooling complete | 18.5 |
| 10 years of schooling complete | 19.7 |
| 12 or more years of education | 22.8 |
| Wealth index | |
| Lowest | 15.4 |
| Highest | 19.7 |
According to the latest results from 2007-08 District Level Household & Facility Survey (DLHS-3) survey, the mean age of marriage for women varies across states from a low of 17.6 and 17.7 years in Bihar and Rajasthan, respectively, to the highest of 25.1 years in Goa. In the case of men, the mean age is lowest in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh at 21.6 years. Across India, 43 per cent of women in the age group 20-24 had been married before the age of 18. The practice is the worst in eight states, where this percentage exceeds 50 — these are Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Though Himachal Pradesh is ranked the best, the practice is prevalent here too, with less than 10 per cent of the women in the age group 20-24 reporting being married by 18. Other states where this share is less than 20 per cent are Uttarakhand, Goa, Puducherry, Kerala, Punjab and Lakshadweep.
When it comes to reporting incidents of child marriages, the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime Statistics of India report that a total of 104 cases were reported in the country under the Child Marriage Restraint Act in 2008, compared to 96 cases the previous year. Gujarat reported the highest number of cases, 23, followed by Andhra Pradesh, 19 and Karnataka, 9. This is a pitiful statistic when compared to the actual incidence of early marriages. Social practices, therefore, still take precedence over the law of the land. Clearly, improving education levels in girls is crucial in stemming the practice of early marriages.
Indian States Development Scorecard is a weekly feature by Indicus Analytics that focuses on the progress in India and the states across various socio-economic parameters