Raising the Minimum Age of Marriage: Breaking the Golden Birdcage

The Indian society is exceptionally concerned with the marriage of their daughters. Even today the masses of India are less concerned about the education of the girl child but for a suitable bridegroom for her, because there is a conception that a woman can only be secured with her husband. This is the reason behind the marriage of girls at a very young age. The present Union Government has tabled a bill in the Lok Sabha to increase the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years, which will apply to women of all religions. This article will look into the impact of raising the minimum age of marriage for women and its consequences on the different important factors which are essential for the overall development of a human being, such as education, health, social security and economic stability. It has taken the studies of different highly reliable data, government news sources and research papers. Increasing the minimum age of marriage will lead to the holistic development of a girl child with better chances to pursue higher education, capable of making her own decisions and this also impacts on the population growth. The increase in the minimum age of marriage will provide different opportunities for a young girl to become self-reliant and become a strong pillar of the society to contribute to the development of the nation.