Concerns over under age Marriages: West Bengal

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Despite the efforts of both the federal and state governments to prevent underage marriage, West Bengal has a high rate of underage marriage. Marriages from the previous three years are counted in both NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. For NFHS-4 (2015-16), women who married after 2012 are considered, and for NFHS-5 (2019-21), women who married after 2016 are included. West Bengal had roughly 27.4% (weighted by sampling weight) underage marriages (marriages occurred at an age less than 18) for NFHS-5 in 2016. In 2012, it was 30.19% for NFHS-4. Within the provided time period, Manipur (from 8.03% to 10.6%) and Tripura (from 26.22% to 26.23%) witness a rise.


District level Spatial Mapping of Early Age Marriages Proportion indicates that the proportion of early age marriages is dropping in the South and West, but remains high in the East and North East.


The kernel density plot for age at marriage in the last three years shows that the peak for India is on the right side of the 18-year line, however for West Bengal it is on the left for NFHS-5, indicating a significant prevalence of underage marriage.

Early marriages can lead to early pregnancy and childbirth, which can have serious health consequences for both the mother and child, such as increased maternal mortality, premature birth, and low birth weight. Considering same women who married in recent three years, West Bengal is experiencing an increase in underage pregnancies.


The Centre wants to increase women's marriage age from 18 to 21. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which would increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, was submitted to a parliamentary standing committee on December, 2021. But the current efforts are not preventing the early age marriages. It is not sure how increase in marriage age will affect the age at marriage. But it seems that legal norms have very limited effect on the age at marriage. 

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