Age of marriage to be increase to 21 for girls

Indian government is looking at the possibility to increase the marriageable age to 21 of women in India. The main reason for reconsidering this is the maternal mortality rate and health of young mothers in India.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020

Key-Points

Since 1978, the minimum legal age for marriage has been 18 for women and 21 for men.

According to a study by UNICEF, 27% of girls in India are married before their 18th birthday.

The major cause of deaths of girls who are 15-19 years old is pregnancy-related complications.

Women who are married and impregnated at a very early age lack the recourse to proper education and access to health care, antenatal care, skilled child delivery and the complete vaccination of the infants which explains the lack of child health care.

As per the 1978 amendment of the Sharda Act of 1929, the marital age of women in India remains 18 while for men it is 21 years.

It will also focus on removing the gender parity in the marital age and raising the women’s marital age from 18 to 21 years.