Variations in Marriage Squeeze by Region, Religion, and Caste in India

Abstract

Marriage squeeze is a demographic phenomenon underlining the asymmetry between the availability of potential brides and grooms in a population. Since mate selection is very specific and bound by religion, caste, and region in India, existing demographic and sociocultural variability reflects even more emphatically on marriage squeeze in these subgroups. The last round of the Indian census (2011) was used for this study. To capture the marriage squeeze, the study utilized two methods—Schoen’s method of two-sex life table and the sex ratio method. At present, India is experiencing a marriage squeeze for males in rural as well as urban areas. Differences have been observed in the tightness of marriage squeeze across different subgroups of the population. The tightness of the male marriage squeeze is greater among Hindus than Muslims in the age group 15–45. In terms of caste, the scheduled tribes are experiencing a higher scarcity of brides than “other” castes; conversely, scheduled caste brides are experiencing a scarcity of grooms. Across the states, a higher tightness of marriage squeeze among males is observed in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, and Haryana compared to the rest of the states. The rapid changes that occurred in the sex ratio in the past few decades are visible in the initial two cohorts of marriageable age. Variations in marriage squeeze across different social groups are mainly driven by alterations in the natural sex ratio and the changing pattern of marriage in India.