Community In A Rush To Marry Off Daughters
Article 1
Based on the data published by BMMA in ‘Breaking the
Silence’ https://notionpress.com/in/read/breaking-the-silence-1410178808-1410178808
BMMA spoke to 2500 Muslim women who have been survivors of
polygamy. Other than revealing the opinion and experience of Muslim women on
their marital status, the study also threw up information about other aspects.
In this article we discuss the age, education and income of Muslim women.
Age of Marriage
This study captured the views of Muslim women who at the time of
study were mainly in the age group of 30-50. We checked with them the age at
which they got married. Out of the first wives, 24% were married before the age
of 18 and 11% of the second wives were married before the age of 18. If we
combine both figures then 36% of the total respondents were married before the
age of 18. To put it in plain words, 36% of women were child brides.
If we compare the numbers of the first and second wife, we can see
that the first wife has the disadvantage. She gets married earlier than the
second wife. First marriages are more prone to early marriage. When parents
chose a wife for their son, they choose someone who is below 18 or someone who
has just cleared that age. But when the same man chooses a second wife for
himself, she is not a child but mostly an adult. While 25% of first wives were
a minor when they got married, less than half, 11% of the second wife were
minors. Second marriage of the husband usually happens with a woman who is an
adult. We see here that the first wife suffers and is a victim of child
marriage more than the second wife of the same husband. Child marriage is more
common among first wives than second wives.
36% while still is a big number reflecting early marriage, it is
also heartening to see increasing number of adult marriages. Here too we see
that the second wife tends to marry in adulthood more than the first wife. In
both the groups, i.e. the first and second wife, a majority of them marry as
adults which is 18-30 years. This is positive as it is showing some alignment
of the community with the legal and social norms. It also aligns with our own
experience while working in the community that we see an increasing number of
young women studying beyond class 12. If we compare these figures with our
previous study ‘Seeking Justice Within Family Law, released in 2015, almost a
decade earlier, we see that than the rate of child marriage was almost 55%. https://notionpress.com/in/read/seeking-justice-within-family
BMMA has been proposing the comprehensive codification of Muslim
family law so that there is an increasing alignment with legal provisions. The
Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, 2006 is applicable to all citizens of India
but there is confusion and a misunderstanding that it is not applicable to the
Muslim community. No citizen of the country is prohibited from accessing any law of the
country but given the hold of the clerics within the Muslim community and
misinformed police which believes that certain laws are not applicable to the
Muslim community, most from the community are not aware of the law and many
wrongly believe that it does not apply to them. Hence it is important that a
specific mention be made in the codified Muslim family law that in case of
child marriage, the PCMA can be evoked.
Education
A large majority (66%) of women had education
levels up to 10th standard or below at the time of marriage. 20% completed Std
11th–12th, indicating a moderate segment who had exposure to higher secondary education
but did not progress to college. Only 12% of women reached undergraduate or
higher levels (graduate, postgraduate, diploma, vocational). A significant
number, 21% have not gone to school at all and vocational and skill-based
education is even more miniscule with only 1%, pointing to very limited avenues
for employment or self-reliance.
If we compare the numbers of the first and second
wives then we see that the second wives tend to be marginally better educated
at the time of marriage, possibly reflecting changing educational opportunities
over time or men choosing somewhat more educated partners for later marriages.
The data underscores that education for women
remains a neglected area, especially in communities where polygamy is
practiced. Early marriage, poverty, and patriarchal norms likely contribute to
low female educational attainment. The low education level of women, coupled
with early marriage, can perpetuate economic dependency and social
vulnerability. Women with lesser education are often less aware of their legal
and marital rights, making them more susceptible to marital instability and
acceptance of polygamy.
If we combine 66% women who are either 10th
class or below and 21% who have not gone to school at all, then a whopping 87%
enter marriage without any significant educational empowerment.
Income At The Time Of Marriage
79% of women had no income at the
time of marriage, highlighting economic dependence from the
outset of marriage. Only small fractions (less than
15%) had any substantial earnings before marriage. Even higher proportion (84%) of first wives
had no income at marriage. Very few had moderate or high income, indicating economic dependence starts early,
especially for first wives. 73% of second wives had no
income, slightly lower than first wives. Higher proportions are
seen in 1000–10,000 range (16%),
suggesting second wives may have had
slightly more earning opportunities before marriage.
Now let us combine all the figures above. 36% are
child brides and 21% have not gone to school and 79% have no income at the time
of marriage. And that leads to the title of this article, what is the rush? Why
are Muslim parents in a great hurry to marry their daughters so weak and
disempowered? Does the conventional, time tested explanation for early marriage
still stays or more reasons can now be added? Does it have anything to do with
being a Muslim or the issue is community-neutral?
A disempowered girl/woman, underage, illiterate,
poor is then burdened with polygamy. While she is still coping with marriage at
such a young age, she faces an emotional bolt in the form of her husband’s
second marriage. While data clearly shows that the first wife tends to suffer
more, it is needless to say that both are equally vulnerable and
disempowered. What is the family gaining
by this inhumanity? Our youth are so vulnerable, weak and disempowered and then
we burden them with marriage and accompanied responsibility. What is wrong with
us? What will push us out of this slumber?
