Male marriage squeeze and cross region marriages in Haryana a study in selected villages of Rohtak District

Abstract

Haryana, a northern state of India that has earned quite a reputation for its unprecedented economic growth is paradoxically infamous for its longstanding gender disparity and devaluation of fairer sex palpably manifested in its abysmally low sex ratio and child sex ratio counts over the years. A grave ramification of decades of female deficits is evident in encapsulation of their proportion in marriage cohort s vis a vis their male counterparts. This demographically driven imbalance exacerbated by socio-cultural configuration of the customary model of marriage has severely affected the nuptial prospects of several socio-economically undesirable men, pushing them to the altar of involuntary bachelorhood. Marriage remains a contentious issue in Haryana and the institution is strictly governed by numerous endogamous and exogamous considerations placing invariable confines of religion, caste, class, gotra, territory etc. pertaining mate selection. Any transgressions vis-à-vis marriage and kinship patterns are sternly dealt in the community, often involving elimination of the transgressing couples or excommunication along with their families. Paradoxically, the cross-region marriages that deviate from a conventional Haryanvi marriage in several ways with respect to caste, class, culture, customary exchange of gifts and even religion (in some cases), are being given tacit approval in the face of necessity. The present study is an exploration into various aspects of these unconventional marriages. Here, different set of factors operating at source and destination regions that determine these marriages have been documented. Further, a detailed analysis has been carried out pertaining modus operandi of these marriages, different categories of marriage mediators involved, marriage payments and related aspects of marriage solemnisation.