Unit 4-1 Response Public
Olivia
Option 2: Laws regarding martial age – India
In India, the martial age for girls is eighteen years old while for boys, it is 21 years old. It seems as though for girls as soon as they turned eighteen, they were married off so all the preparations and searching was completed by the time they turned eighteen — parents weren’t looking once they turned eighteen (NPR, 2021). The girls have their education stopped after high school graduation to become a wife. Right now in India, there is a government movement to increase the age for girls from eighteen to twenty one years old (NPR, 2021).
The girls’ who are married off at eighteen years old, their health is affected greatly from many different avenues. At eighteen years old, girls are not ready for marriage mentally. “Raising the age of marriage would “prepare [girls] physiologically and psychologically to shoulder the responsibility of marriage and children” (NPR, 2021). With this being said, they are just finishing high school and will not be able to pursue a higher education allowing them to have financial independence for themselves and not be depend on their husbands. Many of the women in India, if they want to get divorced, they cannot because they are financially tied to their spouse without anything for themselves (NPR, 2021). To continue on, for girls eighteen years old or younger, there’s higher risk for negative pregnancy outcomes such as: higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis and systemic infections than women ages twenty to twenty four. For babies, “when the mother is under 20, there’s a higher risk of preterm delivery, low birthweight and severe neonatal conditions” (NPR, 2021). Therefore, delaying marriage will help future babies too.
Right now, the martial age for women is still eighteen with hopes of it rising to twenty one for girls like it is for the boys. There is ample proof of how this low age for marriage has negative effects on girls psychologically as well as physiologically.
Citation:
Pathak, S. (2021, October 2). India may raise the age of marriage for girls. not everyone thinks that’s a good idea. NPR. Retrieved January 6, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/10/02/1041550200/india-may-raise-the-age-of-marriage-for-girls-not-everyone-thinks-thats-a-good-i
Sample Answer
Hello, I have read and understood your discussion. When it comes to issues of marital age, we tend to suppress the girl more than the boy. For instance, when it comes to marital age for girls, it tends to be a disadvantage to them as it tends to drop them away from the system. Issues such as education to the girl become a problem and thus, in the long run, affect their productivity in society (Pathak, 2021). The parents are on the thought that their children, more so girls, have no ability to prosper academically and thus opt to marry them off. In recent days the increase in these cases has been on the rise, more so in India, where the rates increase each day with girls being engaged to marital ages. Once a lady is married off at an early marriage tends to affect their normal growth and thus, in the long run affecting their productivity.
At the age of 18, I believe that girls are not ready for marriage rights, and thus I believe they need to be given a chance to advance their education and become productive individuals in the long run. On the other hand, the common phrase “educate a woman educate a nation” falls into place. Many of the girls in the world today given a chance have made a career out of themselves, thus giving them a chance to advance and become financially stable before settling in a family (Santhya et al., 2016). It is proven that educated women tend to uplift the community and take care of their families easily. In terms of health, when subjected to early marriages, girls below the age of 18 tend to have the risk of eclampsia which affects the pregnancy outcome and thus affects the baby. Therefore, girls should be given different opportunities to ensure they go through education and have a chance to choose what they want. Early marriages are not the solution at all times, but in the long run, it should be discouraged to give equal chances to girls just like the boys.
References
- Pathak, S. (2021, October 2). India may raise the age of marriage for girls. not everyone thinks that’s a good idea. NPR. Retrieved January 6, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/10/02/1041550200/india-may-raise-the-age-of-marriage-for-girls-not-everyone-thinks-thats-a-good-i
- Santhya, K. G., Ram, U., Acharya, R., Jejeebhoy, S. J., Ram, F., & Singh, A. (2016). Associations between early marriage and young women’s marital and reproductive health outcomes: evidence from India. International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 132-139.
