The truth about India’s polygamy is finally out of the closet. According to the recently released census data, there are approximately 6.6 million more married Indian women than men, The data though accounts for married men who have migrated abroad for work leaving their wives behind, it is also indicative of many women in polygamous marriages.
Out of 580 million at the time of census, 293 million were women while 287 million were men. As per the data, about 69% of women were married in the 20-24 year group, while just over 30% of men of this age were married. In 2011 (the census year), more than 18 lakh girls under the age of 15 were married. Rajasthan had the highest proportion of girls aged 10-14 married.
A state-wise analysis of the data also throws light on the migration effect. Kerala, with a high outflow of migrant workers, has the highest skew with 1.13 married women for every married man. While there are more married men than women in states with influx of migrants like Maharashtra and Delhi.
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