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Gender scripts and age at marriage in India
Sonalde Desai1, Lester Andrist
1Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, 2112 Art-Sociology Building, College Park, MD 20742, USA. sdesai@socy.umd.edu
Gender roles in Indian society significantly influence decisions about marriage age. Markers of gender performance, like purdah, are key, while economic factors and familial empowerment play a lesser role.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Marriage is recognized as a key institution for gender hierarchy reproduction.
- Limited research exists on the specific processes shaping marriage decisions in developing countries.
- Existing studies face conceptual and data limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how different dimensions of gender in Indian society influence age at marriage decisions.
- To analyze the impact of economic factors, familial empowerment, and gender performance markers on marriage age.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the India Human Development Survey 2005.
- Analyzed data for 27,365 ever-married women aged 25-49.
- Employed hierarchical linear models to assess the influence of gender dimensions.
Main Results:
- Markers of gender performance (e.g., purdah, male-female separation) significantly shape age at marriage.
- Economic factors (wage employment, dowry, wedding expenses) showed a limited impact.
- Indicators of familial empowerment (decision-making power, resource control) did not demonstrate a large role.
Conclusions:
- Gender performance norms are critical determinants of marriage age in India.
- Economic and familial empowerment factors have less influence than anticipated.
- Findings highlight the complex interplay of gender dimensions in shaping marital decisions.
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