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- (Relevant for Sociology Syllabus: Paper 2 – <\/strong>Systems of Kinship in India<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n
- (Relevant for GS Syllabus: Paper1- <\/strong>Role of women and women\u2018s organization <\/strong>)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>WHAT IS THE DEBATE ON LEGAL AGE FOR MARRIAGE ?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- The government has mandated 18 years as the minimum legal age for women to marry and the same is 21 years for men. The reason for setting a legal minimum were aplenty.<\/li>\n
- The major reasons were to prevent child marriage, abuse of women and early pregnancy\u2014a severe health hazard for both the mother and the child.<\/li>\n
- In 2019, the Delhi high court had also sought the government\u2019s response to a plea that proposed a uniform age for marriage for both men and women. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- However, it is noteworthy that personal laws have different provisions, with the attainment of puberty being the qualifying criteria for marriage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
HOW WILL RAISING LEGAL AGE EMPOWER WOMEN?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- There are some well-known proven health implications of early marriage and motherhood. But the bigger concern is how to enforce these rules as child marriage continues to be rampant across the country.<\/li>\n
- In this scenario, raising the minimum age for women will have a positive impact as parents<\/strong> would then be more likely to allow their daughters in villages to pursue college and other higher education degrees. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- The move would also encourage women to play a larger role outside their homes and will improve female labour force participation as they proactively look for employment opportunities.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
WHAT\u200a WILL BE THE BENEFITS OF HIGHER \u200aFEMALE \u200aPARTICIPATION?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Having more women will boost workforce strength, which in turn will increase the gross domestic product. Studies also reveal how greater women\u2019s participation results in an increase in productivity.<\/li>\n
- It happens due to gender diversity,<\/strong> as women bring new skills to the table. There is evidence that women are better at multi-tasking,<\/strong> which makes them efficient across jobs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
WILL INCREASING THE MIN LEGAL AGE BE ENOUGH?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- Merely increasing the legal minimum age for women to get married may not be sufficient in encouraging greater participation.<\/li>\n
- Nevertheless, what the move will do is have a positive impact on health outcomes and encourage more women to get educated. Outside of that, there is a real need to make the workplace more gender-sensitive.<\/li>\n
- Some companies have already taken a lead in terms of instilling a gender-sensitive work-culture.\u200a Zomato,\u200afor\u200ainstance, recently introduced 10 days of \u201cperiod leave” for its female staff.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
WHAT ABOUT GENDER GAP PREVALENT IN INDIA?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
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- India has its work cut out. As per the World Economic Forum\u2019s Global Gender Gap Index 2020 rankings, India ranks 112 among 153 countries. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- China was ranked 106 while Iceland topped the table. Policies such as period leaves are instrumental in assisting women.<\/li>\n
- And they make workplaces more gender-neutral<\/strong>. The focus on empowering women, along with greater sensitivity in private sector, could be instrumental in improving women\u2019s participation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- India has its work cut out. As per the World Economic Forum\u2019s Global Gender Gap Index 2020 rankings, India ranks 112 among 153 countries. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- The move would also encourage women to play a larger role outside their homes and will improve female labour force participation as they proactively look for employment opportunities.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- However, it is noteworthy that personal laws have different provisions, with the attainment of puberty being the qualifying criteria for marriage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- (Relevant for GS Syllabus: Paper1- <\/strong>Role of women and women\u2018s organization <\/strong>)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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