Women: 1950 New Marriage Law Flashcards
What were the terms of the New Marriage Law?
Legal equality: women could hold property and seek divorce.The paying of dowries and bride-prices was forbidden. Child marriage was forbidden (women had to be 18). Free will was required for marriage
What evidence is there that the New Marriage Law was effective?
Between 1946-1949, in 18.6% of marriages the bride was aged 16-17. By 1958-65 this had dropped to 2.4%.
What were the problems with enforcing this new law?
Men who paid bride-prices were angered (they lost what they had perceived as a financial investment).
Widespread violence broke out as armed mobs attempted to violently reclaim their divorced wives. Husbands would attack their wives in divorce court proceedings.
Many cadres were hostile to the reform. They feared chaos and feared that only rich men would be able to find wives - many cadres refused to uphold the law in their local areas.
Traditional Muslim communities greatly resented the challenge to their long held customs.
