Page 144 - 5th APA Conference Program Book Final

family instability. Arranged marriage involving religious leaders are more common than before. To some extends
Moslem women would received pressure if not wearing “hijab”. This study indicated that conservative views have
affected women roles and status within the family regardless their education and social status.

794 Analyzing the Shift in Age at Marriage of Female at State Level in India

Nalini Singh, Ramakant Tiwari
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Categories

13. Others (Education, Wellbeing and Happiness etc.)

Abstract

Marriage is a universal phenomenon. It is very important as it indicated the entry into the sexual union which impacts
population growth through childbearing. Mean age at marriage in India is continuously increasing overtime. There
is a clear north-south dichotomy in marriage timing in India. Most of the north Indian states have comparatively
lower mean age at marriage than south Indian states. Increase in mean age at marriage in these states is result of
decrease in teen-age and early marriages. The change in marriage timing in a state is a function of the factors
operating at two different levels i.e. National level and regional level that includes socio economic condition and
the state level policies. The analysis makes it clear that northern states, have some strong regional factors that are
leading them perform better. States of south India and north east India have specialized in some dragging
forces. Age at marriage and SDG goals are linked with a positive feedback mechanism. Therefore, promoting
delayed marriages should be an integral part of development agenda.

908 Disintegrating Female-headed Households: Neglected Diversities in Formation,
Existence and Vulnerabilities of De facto Female-headed Households in Sri Lanka

Kumudika Boyagoda

Department of Demography, Colombo, Sri Lanka. University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Categories

6. Family Formation and Dissolution, Family and Kinship

Abstract

‘Household diversity’ is a key focus in studying formation and existence of households and families; Female Headed
Households (FHHs) gains emphasis as they are different to the prevailing household norm. When analyzing FHHs,
the common feature, a woman being household head, is highlighted homogenizing all FHHs as similar;
suppressing their heterogeneity. Based on quantitative and qualitative primary data from Sri Lanka, this paper
highlights diversity in FHHs by disintegrating de facto FHHs as ‘resident spouse’ and ‘migrant spouse’. Resident
spouse FHHs differs considerably from migrant spouse FHHs, demographically and socio-economically. Majority of
women heads with a resident husband take primary household economic responsibility; in contrast the husband
takes responsibility in migrant spouse households. For majority of women with a resident spouse, income is low

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