Age of marriage: Legal bar needs to be raised for women, health ministry conveys to task force

NEW DELHI: Three days after PM Narendra Modi hinted in his Independence Day speech that the government was considering revising upward the legal age of marriage for girls from the existing 18 years, the health ministry on Tuesday said it supported the idea.

Sources in the ministry said they had conveyed to the task force studying the matter that delaying the age of marriage would enable girls to complete their education and empower them to take informed decisions on marriage and motherhood.

In his I-Day speech, PM Modi said a decision on “what should be the right age of marriage for girls” would be taken as soon as a committee set up to study the issue gives its report.

The health secretary is one of the members of the task force, led by social activist Jaya Jaitly, that is looking into the issue of age of motherhood and related issues. Sharing the submissions made to the task force, the health ministry in a post on its official Twitter handle stated, “Delaying the age of marriage would provide more time for completion of education for girls and prepare them physiologically and psychologically to shoulder the responsibility of marriage and children. This, in turn, has a potential of positively impacting the health of her progeny in the future.”

The ministry goes on to say that “this would also empower them to take informed autonomous decisions regarding their fertility preferences and care during ante-natal, around birth and post- natal period. This will lead to better chances of joining the work force”.