There was a time when marriage meant everything to a woman. But gone are the days when women used to get married in their early 20s, change their surname and happily settle with their husbands, suggests a research paper of Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC).
With the rise of education and rising level of urbanisation among women, the number of late marriages in Gujarat has gone up by 30 per cent in the recent few years, said the report.
Talking to dna, Zakir Shaikh of Rishta Matrimonial said late marriage is mostly common among Hindu and Sikh community, but of late this phenomenon has caught up with the Muslim community as well.
“According to our observation — in the past five years — the number of late marriage has gone up by at least 20 per cent in the Muslim community.”
Education has played a crucial role in giving rise to this trend, followed by culture in case of women belonging to the age group of 25 and above, stated the report.
“There is nothing wrong if somebody wants to tie the knot early. But, late marriages hold great advantages compared to an early marriage,” opined Dr Pradip Vaghasiya, director of Gujarat Institute of Psychological Science and Research Center.
Today’s women are more independent and marriage is no longer a security nest for them. “In 80 per cent of the cases where women marry late — in their late 20s — education has been cited as the main reason for the delay,” said Shaikh.
In late marriage, both women and men get enough time to become more stable and mature emotionally and financially, which provides a better foundation to their relationship. “Due to higher level of maturity, number of divorce cases is very rare in late marriages,” said Dr Vaghasiya.
On the flipside, it has some medical disadvantages as for many women, infertility becomes a major issue. “When a couple gets married in their 30-40s they often face problem having kids. Hormone production reduces after 30s, which naturally affect the fertility among women,” said Sudhir Mehta, a city-based gynaecologist.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}