Page 48 - IJPS-11-3

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Early marriage and childbearing among Bengali

women in India: Exploring the role of culture

Manas Ranjan Pradhan* , Sourav Mondal , and Prasanna Kumar Mudi
Department of Fertility and Social Demography, International Institute for Population Sciences
(IIPS), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Abstract
One’s culture influences age at marriage, rules of mate selection, and fertility
preferences. Language, as a component of culture, also influences culture itself.
Therefore, language, as an indicator of cultural identity, is a significant, yet
understudied social determinant of health in health-care settings. This study
analyzes the role of cultural norms, measured through language, in early marriage
and childbearing among Bengali speakers in India. Descriptive, bivariate, and
multivariate analyses were conducted for 51,069 women aged 15 – 49 years from
three Indian states (Assam, Tripura, and West Bengal) using data from the fifth round
of the National Family Health Survey (2019 – 2021). Stata was used for the analyses,
with p < 5% considered significant. Among these women, 46% were married before
*Corresponding author: the age of 18, 34% were married before 18 and began childbearing before 19, and
Manas Ranjan Pradhan 55% were native Bengali speakers. After controlling for predictors, Bengali-speaking
(manas.pradhan@iipsindia.ac.in) women were significantly more likely to marry before the age of 18 (odds ratio [OR]:
Citation: Pradhan, M.R., 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66 – 1.79) and marrying and having their first
Mondal, S. & Mudi, P.K. (2025). child before the age of 19 (OR: 1.55, CI: 1.49 – 1.62) compared with their non-Bengali-
Early marriage and childbearing
among Bengali women in India: speaking counterparts. Thus, Bengali culture appears to be associated with early
Exploring the role of culture. marriage and motherhood. To address this, a multi-pronged strategy involving social
International Journal of Population and behavioral change communication, targeted programs delivered by grassroots
Studies, 11(3): 42-52.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2068 health workers, and school-based campaigns that emphasize the adverse effects
of early marriage and childbearing may help reduce these practices in states with
Received: October 19, 2023
significant Bengali-speaking populations.
1st revised: March 11, 2024
2nd revised: May 25, 2024 Keywords: Culture; Language; Early marriage; Adolescent childbearing; Bengali; India
Accepted: July 29, 2024
Published online: October 7, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). 1. Introduction
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the Culture comprises the attitudes, beliefs, behavioral conventions, and values shared by a
Creative Commons Attribution group and influences each member’s behavior. Language, a system of communication, is
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, viewed by linguists as a representation of the culture of a particular social group. Culture
provided the original work is and language are intertwined (Rabiah, 2018) and inseparable due to this relationship
properly cited. (Chaer, 2003). Individuals use language to communicate their shared values, ideas, and
Publisher’s Note: AccScience meanings. Language reflects the history of culture and helps explain why certain ideas
Publishing remains neutral with and beliefs hold prominence (Alwi, 2004). There is an adage that language influences
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional culture and the way their speakers think (Rabiah, 2018). Therefore, as a vehicle of culture,
affiliations. language is closely linked to social institutions such as marriage and family. Moreover,

Volume 11 Issue 3 (2025) 42 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2068