A serious social problem in India, Pakistan, and many other countries

I often receive messages on fb, email, etc from young women in India, Pakistan, etc in their 30s belonging to the middle classes saying that they are still unmarried and wish to get married, but cannot find a suitable life partner

This is a serious social problem in India, Pakistan, etc which has not been addressed. 

Almost every woman, after a certain age, wants to have children. This is natural. There is a powerful principle in nature, and that is that while individuals will all die, the species must continue. For this the main role among humans is played by the female. She has to conceive the child, have it in her womb for 9 months, then deliver it, breast feed and rear the child for many years, etc.

Of course a woman can have a child without marriage, but usually this is frowned upon in most societies. So women seek husbands, in order to have children.

In earlier times, the parents would arrange the marriage of their children, often when the latter were teenagers or even earlier. But now boys and girls, particularly in the middle classes, often concentrate on first building up a career before marrying. The result is that often girls remain unmarried even in their late twenties or thirties. They get highly qualified, but are getting on in years without marrying, and therefore without children. They fear they may end up as old maids without a husband and children This can cause serious psychological problems in some of them.

Also, in late age ( i.e. in their late twenties or thirties ) girls often do not find suitable highly qualified partners, for most boys have already got married, and few are left available.This can cause depression or other mental problems in the woman, for one is going against nature, and if one goes against nature, nature will hit back.

This is a growing social problem in India.

How will the problem be solved ?

In my opinion it can be solved in the following ways :

(1) At present our society is still conservative, and most people frown and disapprove of inter caste and inter religious marriages, and sometimes there are even ‘honour killings’. Consequently the field from which a suitable life partner can be chosen is still severely limited. Therefore a drastic change in the mindsets of people is essential for increasing the chances of women getting married, but such change of mindsets is an extremely difficult and long drawn process, which may not be possible without a revolution.

https://indicanews.com/justice-markandey-katju-changing-peoples-mindsets

(2) Applying to matrimonial websites and platforms. Many such are available today e.g. shaadi.com. However, one must be careful in using them as one may get entangled with a charlatan.

(3) Social campaigns should be launched, led by respected figures, to reduce the prejudice against inter caste and inter religious marriages, highlighting positive stories of women who married late and chose partners outside their caste/community and yet were happy

(4) Provide social spaces like clubs or gatherings where single men and women can interact without family or caste/community surveillance or interference

(5) There are several Supreme Court rulings which have protected the right of adult women to marry by choice, including inter caste/community marriage, e.g. Shaktivahini vs Union of India ( 2018 ), Arumugal Servai vs Kanniammal ( 2011 ), Lata Singh vs State of UP, etc

Courts should give protection to those having such marriages as that is a Constitutional right

Justice Katju is a former Judge of the Indian Supreme Court, and Ms. Bedasruti Das is a Lecturer in Law in OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana