In city, 24% of girls below 15 married off

91 per cent of marriages in Hyderabad are arranged and of these 74 per cent are arranged by parents with payment of dowry, and rest by brokers and marriage agencies. Education for girls is not a priority in Hyderabad

A study by the Young Urban Women ‘Live choices & Livelihoods’, shows that 24 per cent of girls below the age of 15 are being married off in Hyderabad. (The figure is higher in Mumbai at 34 per cent).

The study also shows that 91 per cent of marriages in Hyderabad are arranged and of these 74 per cent are arranged by parents with payment of dowry, and the rest by brokers and marriage agencies. Seventy per cent of married couples live on their own and 26 per cent live in joint families.

The study also found that 67 per cent of girl children in families that live below the poverty line (BPL) drop out of school or college midway. Thirty per cent of them leave at lower secondary level and the rest at secondary level. Education for girls is not a priority in Hyderabad, the study concludes.

Mumbai reflects better education levels of the respondents, with a majority of young women studying up to secondary level. But in Chennai, almost 94 per cent of young women have discontinued studies.

Early marriage and parental pressure are the main reasons for girls dropping out. But there are also safety concerns, with schools often situated a long way from the girls’ homes.

“Safety and social concerns and having to care for younger siblings and help in household chores while the parents are away at work, are some of the reasons for girls dropping out of school,” says Manasa Pillai, a researcher on the socio-economic and working condition of urban women.

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