3 months ago
1
:
Tamil Nadu’s marital scenery is inactive characterised by the prevalence of consanguineous marriages, according to the State’s Economic Survey 2025-26 of the State Planning Commission (SPC).
At 28%, Tamil Nadu reports the highest incidence among its adjacent States – Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. As per estimates based connected reports and information sheets of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - 5, Tamil Nadu is followed by Karnataka with 26.6%, Maharashtra (14.8%), Gujarat (6.4%) and Kerala (4.4%). The all-India mean is 10.8%.
Though Tamil Nadu’s disposable signifier of matrimony is attributed to the taste factor, galore Tamil diagnostic films, knowingly oregon unknowingly, person been highlighting the facet of consanguineous unions.
The survey acknowledges that the signifier carries “recognised familial risks. Rising urbanisation and targeted nationalist wellness connection whitethorn assistance trim the prevalence of specified unions”.
Child marriages
The study besides says the conception of kid marriages is inactive successful vogue, and has been defined by women, aged from 20 to 24 astatine the clip of the survey, arsenic getting joined earlier the property of 18. In agrarian areas, the proportionality of specified women is 15.2%, and successful municipality areas, it is 10.4%. The State’s mean stands astatine 12.8%, portion the all-India mean is 23.3%. The median property of women (in the property radical of 25-29) astatine archetypal matrimony is 22 against the all-India mean of 19.7.
In presumption of entree to education, pistillate literacy among women aged 15-49 has reached 84%, with 24.3% completing 12 oregon much years of schooling. These person been exceeded lone by Kerala (97% and 30.4% respectively). Maharashtra intimately follows Tamil Nadu with 82.3% and 20.9% respectively. The figures of all-India mean are 71.5% and 16.6%.
As for entree to economic resources, 92% of the women person their ain slope oregon savings account—higher than the nationalist average, arsenic good arsenic astir adjacent States. Awareness of microcredit programmes is precocious with 74%, portion 18% of women study taking loans from them, underscoring the heavy penetration of fiscal inclusion programmes.
Digital and media vulnerability uncover a mixed picture. Tamil Nadu has the highest television viewership among its peers with 83.4%, but it is the lowest (14.5%) with respect to readership of the people media. Internet usage among women remains humble (about 47%). The rural–urban integer disagreement is pronounced: lone 69% of agrarian women ain a mobile phone, and lone 39% study utilizing the internet.
As for areas of concern, the State reports the highest proportionality of pregnancies ending successful non-live births (9.9%, compared to 6.5% successful Kerala). This points to “persistent gaps successful underlying maternal wellness conditions and prime of care, even successful the discourse of beardown work delivery,” the survey says. The adjacent signifier of women’s improvement requires a decisive displacement from an input-driven attack to an outcome-driven governance exemplary that evaluates whether programmes construe into meaningful improvements successful empowerment, mobility, safety, employment, and well-being.
Despite precocious acquisition attainment, women stay concentrated successful low-productivity services and look rising educated unemployment. Improving women’s wellness indispensable beryllium “prioritised.” This includes strengthening menstrual hygiene management, ensuring entree to sustainable products, expanding cleanable nationalist washrooms, reducing anaemia, improving cervical and bosom crab screening, addressing the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases and promoting healthier diets, the Survey adds.
