What is the correct age for marriage in India?

Right age for marriage in India

Right age for marriage in IndiaComplete your graduation and welcome yourself to the marriage club. Your marriage will be the centre of every discussion. Now be it your aunty, uncle or parents, they will talk about your marriage and give you all sorts of suggestions. Being a boy has some liberties as this delays the discussion by a year or so.

No doubt that marriage is a prominent milestone in one’s life but in most the Indian families, parental pressure results in marriage and most of the times the marriage takes place at a very young age.  Though this trend is changing in cities and metros but villages are still untouched in India. If you ask parents then the maximum limit set by them for marriage is right after education and for girls even during graduation or their studies.

In Indian society, family and parents play an imperative role in taking the decision regarding right age for marriage. Above that, if a female crosses 30 years of age then she is tagged as someone who is not of a good character or loose.

On the other hand, young boys and girls going to college generally want to get married after completing their studies and getting well-settled in life. Today’s generation also feel that marriage can be delayed but not the career. Building a career and having a well-settled life before marriage is essential.

But is there any ideal age to get married or you should follow your love instinct? Studies revealed that more the age, less are the chances of divorce. Couples getting married after 25 years of age are less likely to get divorced. Moreover, if the woman is educated then she is more confident and can better handle the responsibilities of a family. Apart from this it has also been found out that tying a nuptial knot after 25 results in less intense arguments among the couple.

The kind of society we live in thinks that a person can be happy only after marriage. There is one very bad but common logical behind marriage. It has been seen that if the boy is not doing anything or spending time idly then his parents think of marrying him to bring him on right track. But it should not be done because by doing so you may ruin the life of a girl. Marriage is for happiness not for sadness.

Studies have also revealed that an average marriageable age in India for men is 26 years and for women 22.2 years. Rural and urban India shows sharp difference between the age at marriage. Overall the age in urban areas is 21 years whereas in rural areas it is 18-20 years.

The only drawback of marrying late is the associated biological complication like conceiving a child. It has been found out that conception after 35 is difficult than in 20s and also the chances of miscarriage and diseases like Down syndrome and other genetics diseases increases to manifolds.

Indian law under the Hindu Marriage Act has defined the marriageable age of a boy and girl. Legally a boy in India needs to be 21 and girl needs to be 18 years of age at the time of marriage.

Going back to the 18th century, the minimum legal age to marry for a boy was 14 and for a girl it was 12 years in most parts of the country.

You will be questioned by a society if you want to take a step against the said norms. But going against or doing things as per the norms cannot define the right age. Obviously it should not be less than the defined age.

Some people wait for a perfect mate and some for career but at the end most of us want to settle down in life. The urge to get married becomes even stronger, once people younger to you start getting married. But you must follow the path and decide the right time to get married as this is a very important decision of your life.

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