Polygamy is on the decline throughout India, even in Assam, the place the Bharatiya Janata Celebration-led authorities handed a invoice in Parliament on Thursday banning polygamy within the state, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma saying it was a “first step” in direction of a uniform civil code.
Polygamy has constantly declined from 2005 to 2006 in Assam and on the nationwide degree, in response to a analysis abstract revealed in 2022 by the Mumbai-based Worldwide Institute of Inhabitants Sciences (IIPS). This analysis temporary examines the prevalence of polyandry (the commonest type of polyandry in India, which refers back to the marriage of a person to a couple of girl) amongst married ladies between the ages of 15 and 20, utilizing knowledge collected within the three most up-to-date Nationwide Household Well being Surveys (NFHS). 49 years.
In 2005-06, when the third NFHS was performed, the general polygamy fee amongst married ladies aged 15-49 in India was 1.9%. By the 4th NFHS in 2015-16, this determine had fallen to 1.6% and additional diminished to 1.4% within the fifth NFHS in 2019-21.
Nonetheless, NFHS statistics present that the prevalence of polygamy in Assam declined from 3.3% in 2005-06 to 2.4% in 2015-16, however remained unchanged in 2019-21. Assam’s polygamy fee was the sixth highest in 2005-06, dropped to eighth in 2015-16, however returned to sixth in 2019-21.
The districts in Assam with the best polygamy fee are Biswanath and Karimganj, at 4.2% every between 2019 and 2021. Whereas Biswanath has a sizeable Scheduled Tribe (ST) inhabitants of 15.21%, greater than half of Karimganj’s inhabitants is Muslim, in response to the 2011 census.
Nonetheless, polygamy amongst Muslims in Assam declined from 6.9% in 2005-06 to three.6% in 2019-21, and amongst Hindus from 2.1% to 1.8% in the identical interval.
Assam’s new regulation exempts tribal communities however supplies stiff penalties for polygamy. Nonetheless, though polygamy has been prohibited in India since 1955 below the Hindu Marriage Act, polygamy is allowed amongst some Hindu communities and below Islamic private regulation.
past the state
Polygamy stays prevalent in some states, significantly within the tribal-majority Northeast, and its prevalence has elevated in some states over the previous twenty years, in response to NFHS knowledge.
From 2019 to 2021, 18 states and union territories had increased charges of polygamy than the nationwide common. Meghalaya had the best prevalence of polygamy at 6.1%, adopted by Mizoram at 4.1%, Sikkim at 3.9%, Arunachal Pradesh at 3.7% and Telangana at 2.9%. Assam, Karnataka and Pondicherry are tied for sixth highest at 2.4%.
Prevalence of polygamy by state
From 2005-06 to 2015-16, polygamy turned extra frequent in simply six states, led by Mizoram, the place the polygamy fee rose by 5.9 share factors from 2.4% to eight.3%.
5 different states (Manipur, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh) additionally noticed polygamy charges rise, however by lower than 1 share level every. Nonetheless, among the greatest declines in polygamy had been additionally recorded within the Northeast, with Arunachal Pradesh main the way in which, recording a 2.2 share level decline from 6.9% in 2005-06 to 4.7% in 2015-16. Nagaland’s fee decreased by 2.1 factors from 4% to 1.9%. The one different states that noticed a decline of greater than 1 share level had been Tamil Nadu and Sikkim.
From 2015-16 to 2019-21, polygamy elevated essentially the most in Meghalaya, growing by 2.3 share factors from 3.8% to six.1%. Polygamy additionally elevated in seven different states, every by lower than 1 p.c, whereas two different states noticed no change in prevalence.
The best fee of decline was recorded in Mizoram, which fell by 4.2 share factors from 8.3% to 4.1%, which was nonetheless increased than the speed recorded in 2005-06. The one different areas the place polygamy decreased by no less than 1 share level had been the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
Nonetheless, over the almost 15-year interval from 2005-06 to 2019-21, polygamy elevated in solely three states: Mizoram by 1.7 share factors, Meghalaya by 1.5 share factors and Haryana by 0.1 share factors. In two states, Bihar and Punjab, the prevalence of polygamy stays unchanged. Throughout the identical interval, seven states recorded a decline in polygamy of no less than 1 share level, led by Arunachal Pradesh with 3.2 share factors, Nagaland with 2.5 share factors and Sikkim with 1.7 share factors.
Between 2019 and 2021, solely 20 districts throughout India had polygamy charges above 5%, of which 14 had been concentrated within the northeast. In accordance with the 2011 census, the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, the place 96% of the inhabitants is Scheduled Tribes (ST), has the best prevalence of polygamy at 20%, adopted by the Kula Dadi district of Arunachal Pradesh at 16.4%, and the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya with 14.5%.
Prevalence of polygamy primarily based on background traits
Trying throughout India by faith, from 2019 to 2021, the minority Christians had the best prevalence of polygamy at 2.1%, adopted by Muslims at 1.9%, and Hindus and Buddhists at 1.3% every. From 2005 to 2006, Buddhists accounted for essentially the most at 3.8%, adopted by Muslims at 2.6%, Christians at 2.4%, and Hindus at 1.8%.
On the nationwide degree, STs had the best polygamy fee at 2.4% in 2019-21, in comparison with 3.1% in 2005-2006, whereas amongst Scheduled Castes (SCs) the polygamy fee declined from 2.2% in 2005-2006 to 1.5% in 2019-21. Different Backward Lessons (OBCs) had the bottom prevalence of polygamy, at 1.3% in 2019-2021 and 1.7% in 2005-2006.
Breaking down polygamy by schooling and wealth exhibits that its prevalence decreases with increased ranges of schooling and growing wealth. For instance, the prevalence of polygamy amongst ladies with much less schooling was 2.4% from 2019 to 2021, in comparison with 0.3% amongst ladies with increased schooling. Equally, the NFHS reported a prevalence of polygamy of two.4% among the many poorest ladies surveyed, in comparison with 0.5% among the many wealthiest teams.
