Taking the Easy Way Out

Context: The government’s proposal to raise the legal age of women marriage (from 18 to 21 years) illustrates a timeless principle of governance that rises above all ideologies. 

Arguments for the move to raise the Legal Age of Women Marriage

• Will Promote Gender Equality: 
• Access to opportunity: Since India also has the largest absolute number of girls who marry below the age of 18. 
• Increased Probability of Healthier Mother and Child: due to raise in the age of motherhood.
• Reducing the instances of child marriages
• Reduced fertility rates

Arguments against the Move:

• Global Consensus on 18 years of age: as the age of social adulthood, marriage, common threshold for voting rights and driving privileges.
• Scientists have recognised 18 years as the age when the female body reaches full development.
• The Problem is not of Child Marriage but of adolescent marriage:
• National Family Health Survey- 4 : shows that only 6.6% of women were married below the age of 15
• Fertility rates are already declining: Decline in states like West Bengal and Telangana, which have high rates of early marriages have declining fertility rates.
• No legal protection for those who are already married:
• NFHS-4 holds that 56% of Indian Women in 20-24 years age group (who married below 21) would be without legal protection
• Not a progressive policy tool: Increasing the marriage age is not a necessary requirement for human development:
• For E.g. In progressive states like Kerala, where educational levels are high and health standards are on par, 33% women marry before 21 years of age.

Issue with Child Marriage in India

• Occasional media coverage and public discussion

• Child marriage and trafficking are often carelessly conflated. 

• Limited employment opportunities for young women and home-bound school drop-out leaves marriage as the only viable prospect. 
• Conditional cash transfer schemes for adolescent girls reinforce the belief that girls are a burden relieved only by marriage. 

Way Forward: Instead of increasing age of marriage we need free education beyond schooling for girls, coupled with job guarantees, especially for vulnerable social locations.