IDEAL MARRIAGE AGE : ONE QUESTION MANY ANSWERS

Marriage is a very important decision of a person's life, how to decide an ideal age to take this big step the debate is going on for decades . Under British rule The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 fixed marriage age 14 years( for girls) 18year(for boys) The provisions of the act were for non - Muslim population only. The Muslim community followed the rules of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937, The 1929 law for non-Muslims was amended twice after India gained independence In 1949, the minimum age for girls was increased to 15, and in 1978 the minimum age was increased for both genders: to 18 for female and 21 years for male.

Recently Modi government has announced that it has decided to raise the marriage age, for women from 18 to 21 years, but this recommendation is receiving mixed opinions from various sections of society, here the real question arises What should be the minimum age limit of marriage? VIEWPOINT OF PARENTS

For Indian Parents marriage of a child is a dream plus a social responsibility. Our parents consider many things like family background, religious values education, financial status, etc. we are living in the 21st century but there is a section of society that still considers girl child a burden and for these people, girl education & her health are least important issues. This is one of the important reasons why child marriage is still prevalent in some parts of India although it has been declared unlawful by the Act of 1929.

Those in favor of the government say that the move will empower girls and young women, increase their access to education and reduce both infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR). and save them from malnutrition

.Another section of parents says that the age limit of 20 to 28 is the ideal marriage age. The main reason is that the biological clock is also important along with education and career now there are options of IVF and surrogacy too that support us in case we delay childbirth but giving birth to a child within the age bracket is helpful for the mother as well both physically and mentally.

In my opinion, marriage age is a complex issue which cannot be made be limited to just a number but yes 21 years of age for both genders is ok as minimum age because it makes girls a school pass out before entering into the new phase of life plus making them more mature in case of childbirth. But others factors such as both partners should be emotionally psychologically and financially ready to enter into the institution of marriage are also important.