Study finds that dowry, marital rape and domestic violence
are common in one of the most forward-looking states in India, Maharashtra.
Maharashtra may be one of the most forward-looking states in India but parents here still push their children into arranged marriage, with majority getting a chance to meet their spouses only on the wedding day. Also, very few parents seek the opinion of their daughters before choosing their life-partner.
A sub-national study by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, and Population Council, New Delhi, concluded the above findings after interviewing 7,570 youth both married and unmarried from over 23,000 rural and urban households in Maharashtra. The survey was also conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
According to the study, a mere five per cent reported that they had love marriages. In most instances, it was found that children were hardly consulted about their marriage. About 72 per cent of women between the age-group of 15-24 and 32 per cent of young men between 15-29 years reported that their advice was never sought before their marriage, as per the study.
“To some extent, even in urban areas, marriages are mostly arranged,” said Dr Usha Ram, director, IIPS. “But the cause for concern is obviously the dowry culture that still exists,” he said. Despite dowry laws in place, 58 per cent of young men reported to have received dowry and more than 70 per cent young women said that their families had given dowry for marriage. Urban families were also found indulging in the practice.
Physical violence and forced sex were also reported within marriage. Almost one-quarter of young women reported that their first sexual experience within marriage was forced. The occurrence of unwanted pregnancies was also high with one in four women reporting that they became pregnant when they did not want.
“One of the reasons for such a situation could be a very poor level of awareness about contraception among both married men and women,” said Shireen Jejeebhoy, associate professor, Population Council. She added that the degree of awareness about contraception between married and unmarried men was negligible.
Interestingly, the study also found that three per cent of young men reported an extra-marital sexual encounter as opposed to hardly any young women reporting such experience.
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