இந்தியாவில் இளம்வயது திருமணப் போக்குகள்: NFHS சுற்றுகளின் ஆதாரங்கள் அடிப்படையிலான ஒரு பகுப்பாய்வு
Trends in Adolescent Marriage in India: An Evidence-Based Analysis of NFHS Rounds
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63300/tm12042026.09Keywords:
Child marriage, early marriage, NFHS, India, adolescent motherhood, gender equality, SDG 5, Logistic RegressionAbstract
Based on data from six rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted over a 32-year period from 1992 to 2024, this study examines early marriage trends in India. The child marriage rate among women aged 20–24 dropped from 49.4 percent in NFHS-1 (1992–93) to 20.1 percent in NFHS-6 (2023–24) (IIPS & ICF, 2026). The median age at first marriage for women has increased from 17.2 years to 19.2 years. However, the rate remains high in states such as West Bengal (36.4%), Bihar (34.6%), and Rajasthan (34.0%), while it is very low in states like Kerala (2.9%) and Goa (6.8%) (Gausman et al., 2024). Among uneducated women, 48 percent married before the age of 18, and 58 percent in the poorest households did so; in contrast, only 10 percent of women with higher education and 20 percent from wealthy households fall into this category. Logistic regression analysis confirms that female education and household wealth are the strongest determinants (Singh et al., 2024). Early marriage is directly linked to adolescent motherhood, maternal mortality, child health deficits, and restrictions on education and employment opportunities (Shri et al., 2023; Subba, 2025). These findings emphasize the necessity of strong enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, affordable educational opportunities, and financial support for poor families. Eradicating early marriage is essential to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality (UNICEF, 2023).
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