Female Age at Marriage in India : Trends and Determinants

NUPTIALITY plays a significant role in determining the level of fertility and growth rate in a population. The experience of several less developed countries where population growth rates have recently lowered has well demonstrated this effect. An upward shift in nuptiality behaviour has played a crucial role in affecting these changes. In societies where reproduction is primarily confined within marriage the changes in marriage ages and the resultant reduction in proportion of women remaining in married state are directly linked to fertility. Raising of female age at marriage has therefore been recognized as one of the important policy interventions that might be able to influence population growth rates apart from national family planning programme.