Bill to raise minimum age of marriage for women to 21 introduced in Parliament

A bill that seeks to have a uniform age of marriage for men and women was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid protests by opposition members, with Union minister Smriti Irani urging the chair to refer it to a parliamentary panel. Irani introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021 that seeks to increase the legal minimum age for women to marry to 21 years, bringing it at par with that of men.

Irani said the bill also seeks to override all existing laws, including any custom, usage or practice governing the parties in relation to marriage. The bill was referred to a parliamentary panel for detailed scrutiny.

The House was later adjourned for the day amid continuous protests by opposition members over various issues, including the Lakhimpur Kheri killings.

The proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women to 21 has been an issue of debate for the last few weeks since it was reported that the government is mulling it over. The Union government says raising the marriageable age to 21 will empower women and improve the health of young mothers and their babies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, December 21, also defended the proposal at a rally in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. "We are trying to increase the age of marriage of women to 21 years so that they can have time to study and progress. The country is taking this decision for its daughters. Everyone is seeing who is having problems with this...it has caused pain to some," he said.

However, many activists have pointed out that raising the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 could interfere with their personal liberty, right to choose a partner, and allow families of the women to have more control over them. Activists have also pointed out that early marriage happens due to poverty and lack of access to education and economic opportunities and not the other way round.