Context: 

According to the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS), conducted between 2019 and 2021, the national average of underage marriages has come down. 

• The rate has increased in Punjab, West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Assam.

Findings of the Survey:

• According to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, women who are more educated have a greater say in deciding when they want to get married. 
• The survey also found that the percentage of women getting married before the legal age of 18 has decreased from 26.8% (NFHS-4) to 23.3%. 
  • For men, the figure is 17.7% (NFHS-5) and 20.3% (NFHS-4).
• The median marriage age in the 25­-29 age group was 23 and in the 45-­49 age group was 22.5. 
• Wealthier women, aged 25-29 and 45-49, had a median age of 22.8 and 19.7, respectively. 
• The median marriage age among SC/ST/OBC women was below 20 even among younger generations, while that of non­SC/ST/OBC women crossed 20.
• The difference in the median age between rural and urban women was wider among younger generations. 
• The negotiating power of urban women has improved at a higher pace than that of rural women.
• Education was not as dominant a factor in pushing up their median marriage age as it was in the case of women.

News Source: The Hindu