India-Kashmir-Later Marriage Trends for Women-Regional Conflict, Financial & Social Issues, Careers +
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: November 6, 2006
Fewer Grooms for Kashmiri Women
|
||||
Seventeen years of insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir have And it is most noticeable in a slow, but gradual, change in the life of Social scientists in the state capital, Srinagar, say the age at which Until about a decade ago, most Kashmiri families would see their Now, this has stretched to as late as 35 years. Insecurity Syeda Afshana, who writes on women’s rights issues, blames it on “Tourism, the main revenue-earner in the region, has significantly “And the government has put a freeze on new recruitment in government “Government jobs here are most coveted and this has created a
Also, during the long years of militancy, the Kashmir Valley has lost “The loss of this particular group has added to the problem as most A resident of Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area tells me he is 42 years old. “My father is old so it’s now my responsibility to find suitable grooms In Kashmir’s traditionally conservative Muslim society, a lot of stigma But single women in their late 20s and 30s have now become a visible Changing roles Many young women, speaking on condition of anonymity, say men now As a result, many women are going in for higher education to be able to But then sometimes highly-educated women in well-paying jobs “Every woman wants to marry Mr Perfect,” says Saima Farhad, editor of “Her wish list is long – the man should be good looking, highly In the absence of development schemes in the state and the high In Kashmiri society where marriages are almost always arranged by
But women are no longer taking the plunge just because their parents Afsana Rashid, a Srinagar-based journalist, says the role of women in “A large number of men died or disappeared during the insurgency and Ms Afshana says that’s perhaps not a bad thing after all as it gives “Society is changing very fast. Financial and social compulsions have “Their voice is being heard loud and clear and the political system And this change is already visible – whether on the streets of Srinagar Political leader Mehbooba Mufti and Asiya Andrabi, head of separatist
____________________________________________________________________________ |
================================================================
To
leave the list, send your request by email to:
wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com. Thank you.
Categories: Releases