By Priya Sharma. More girls will be graduates by the time they can give consent to marriage. The Union Cabinet has raised the minimum age for girls to marry, by two years. It was proposed by a NITI Aayog task force headed by Jaya Jaitley. It will also bring them at par with boys, as now both will be able to enter consentual matrimony after attaining 21 years of age. The NITI Aayog task force has tried to hit multiple targets with a single stone. Women have proved their mettle in most areas. We need more qualified women, atleast graduates, in our workforce. Further, by pushing the age of marriage, we can slow down the birthrate and contain the population growth. This will also ensure a girl’s say in the match making process. Though there is no data to suggest that girls cannot bear healthy child before 21, it will certainly help them plan their motherhood.
Young uneducated widows have been a matter of grave concern in our society. They are exploited and abused physically and mentally by their inlaws. Even in areas where they are able to get employment on compassionate grounds, lack of education sets their limits. An educated mother, who has a say in family matters will be able to take better care of her child, keep the number of children in check and provide better education to her offsprings.
Betterment of the girl child is easier said than done. Our socio-cultural beliefs are the biggest hinderance. The deep rooted belief that a girl will fall prey to her carnal desires, if not married at the right time, poses a major threat. Moreover, traditional ‘Match Making System’ makes it difficult to find a suitable match. Though there is no data to suggest that ‘Muhurtas’ make any difference to a marriage, “Akha Teej” (Akshay Tritiya) push people into hasty marriage rituals. In many clans, education of the girl child threatens her marriage prospects.
To make the NITI Aayog proposal truly happening, a lot more needs to be done on the socio-cultural front as well. Child marriage was banned as early as 1929 but it is still happening. A girl’s age becomes a factor only in cases of love marriage, when there is a need to prove her age of consent. Now, that the age has been raised to 21 before a girls can marry, let us hope that more girls graduate before they are married off.
M.A.3rd Sem. English literature
Indira Gandhi Govt.P.G.College Vaishali Nagar, Durg