Notes

Economics of Marriage
 Patriarchal Indian society views women as an economic burden. Through
marriage this burden is transferred to the marital family. Dowry is then
expected from the girl’s family as support for bearing this burden. For families
that struggle with poverty, this one-time cost is very high, and the decisionmaking
around a girl’s marriage is done based on a desire to minimize this
cost. Costs of weddings are viewed similarly, and multiple sisters may be
married in one ceremony to capitalize on economies of scale.
 Sexuality
 Control over women’s sexuality is central to a society that is both patriarchal
and divided by class and caste.
 These boundaries are kept in place by restricting women’s sexuality and
ability to procreate in order to limit inheritance of wealth and maintain “caste
purity.” This places a premium on the virginity and chastity of young women,
such that even a forced sexual encounter is seen as tarring the image of the
woman, leaving her less worthy of marriage.
 The overall attitude toward sexuality is negative, and there is no space to
acknowledge adolescent sexuality and desires without being shamed or
facing severe consequences.
 Gender Norms and Masculinity
 Women are socialized to believe that their primary role in society is in relation
to others—as a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a wife and a mother. These
norms restrict women from having aspirations beyond marriage. Similarly,
for men, gender norms are constructed around masculinity, and a man’s
sense of self hinges on his ability to control women, particularly daughters.
Until the daughter is married, her protection and chastity is considered a
marker of the father’s honour and masculinity. Losing control over his
daughter can bring a man shame and exclusion from the community, and
this motivates men to marry their girls early.
 Educational and Institutional Gaps
 For those parents who wish to send their daughters to school, and for girls
who wish to study, accessing education is not always easy. Over and above
restrictive norms, girls often have to travel long distances to find institutional
education. Sometimes, lack of schools ends girls’ education. A lack of
institutions exaggerates the fact that a girl’s education is viewed as a
secondary priority to her labour in the household. It also reduces the
bargaining power of young girls to resist marriage and to find alternative
activities and aspirations.
 Centrality of Marriage
 Across all social boundaries, marriage is considered to be the most important
part of the lives of young people. Both men and women are encouraged to
aspire to it from a young age, each in his or her own way. This centrality of
marriage is also accompanied by specific norms around marriage. These
norms dictate what is and is not an “ideal” marriage. Because social norms
require everyone to marry, and because marriage is governed by rigid rules,
families fear that their child might not have an “ideal” marriage or will not
find the “ideal” match. In such cases, marrying early is the way parents
secure the future of their children.
www.iasscore.in
June (1-15, 2017) 11
Current Affairs Fortnightly
 Risk, Vulnerability and Uncertainty
 For many families that live amid growing uncertainty, there is a strong anxiety
about the future: a sense of “who knows what tomorrow will bring.” Structural
factors like poverty, agrarian crises and migration exacerbate the
vulnerability of families to severe and life-changing situations. In such cases,
marriage is seen as a way to bring certainty and insurance to an otherwise
volatile environment. This is also why families that migrate, or are under
threat of communal violence, or live in areas prone to floods or other natural
disasters, are more likely to marry their children young—as a way to avoid
greater uncertainty and as a way to mitigate risks by using marriage to
strengthen social networks.
 Age as an Axis of Power
 Young people, children particularly, are viewed as naïve and innocent and
lacking the capacity to fend for themselves. This is why society creates
mechanisms to protect them from harm. In many cases, this is the explanation
used to separate young people marrying underage out of choice. However,
the same is not as problematic when it takes place with parental consent,
within societal norms and boundaries. This difference shows that young
people lack agency not because they are unable to make good decisions.
Instead, agency comes with age: those who are older generally have greater
power over decision-making.