Policy Landscape on Early Marriage & Fertility
India has pursued two broad strategies to curb early marriage and high fertility. The first strategy expands Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and related schemes that keep girls in school. The second strategy tackles family size directly through the world’s first national family‑planning programme and stricter marriage laws.
Key Developments (NFHS‑5 to NFHS‑6)
- Women with ≥10 years of schooling rose in 33 of 35 states and UTs.
- Early marriage (marriage before 18) fell nationally from 23.3% to 20.1%.
- States such as Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (‑10 pp) and Andaman & Nicobar (‑7.4 pp) recorded the steepest declines.
- Conversely, Nagaland saw a rise of 4.6 percentage points, the largest increase.
- Correlation between changes in schooling and early marriage is **‑0.40** (p=0.018), indicating that more schooling is linked to faster declines in child marriage.
- Link between schooling and total fertility is weak (correlation = ‑0.10, p=0.57) because most states have already completed the fertility transition.
Important Facts
The national TFR is now around 1.9–2.0, below the replacement level of 2.1. Only five states – Bihar (2.7), Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Lakshadweep (each 2.2) – remain above replacement. The rest, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab, are at or below 1.8.
Key education‑related policies include the Right to Education Act, the Mid‑Day Meal Scheme, and newer initiatives like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and West Bengal’s Kanyashree Prakalpa.
Exam Relevance
Understanding the nexus of education, early marriage and fertility is vital for GS 2 (Polity) and GS 3 (Socio‑Economic Development). Questions may ask about the effectiveness of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, the impact of family‑planning programmes, or the role of education in women’s empowerment.
Way Forward
- Strengthen enforcement of the Child Marriage Act and consider raising the legal marriage age for women to 21, as proposed in 2021.
- Expand quality secondary and higher education for girls, especially in high‑fertility states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
- Integrate livelihood training with schooling to increase the opportunity cost of early marriage.
- Monitor state‑level data regularly to assess whether education continues to delay marriage even after fertility transition is complete.
In summary, while India’s fertility transition is largely finished, education remains the most powerful tool to postpone marriage and enhance women’s agency, a key indicator for sustainable development and gender equity.