Recent Trends in Union formation and dissolution in India

Indian marriage system has traditionally been characterized by universal marriage with strong caste endogamy, relatively early marriage and by very low divorce rates. But with economic liberalization, growth of mass media and increasing participation of women in tertiary education and in the paid labor force, the traditional marriage system has come under pressure. If media reports are believed, self-arranged marriages are becoming common and divorce rates are on the upward march. But these reports are based on anecdotal and selective data. The absence of good quality data on marriage has meant that there has not been any rigorous demographic study of these trends in India. However three recent surveys-- Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2005-6), District Level Health Survey (DLHS-3, 2007-8) and Youth in India (2006-7)—have information on various aspects of marriage. Using these datasets, I will in this paper: present a comprehensive picture of marriage trends and characteristics covering topics such as the prevalence of arranged marriages, trends in consanguineous and endogamous marriages and assortative mating patterns and trends in divorce; Analyze variations by region, religion and education; c) situate the findings within the broader literature on changes in institutional, structural and ideational changes in India.