Skewed Sex Ratio and Migrant Brides in Haryana: Reflections from the Field

Abstract

A significant social consequence of the prevailing skewed sex ratio in some of the prosperous regions of India is a shortage of marriageable women which is resulting in the ‘import’ of brides from relatively poorer regions. In the northern state of Haryana, which has one of the lowest female to male sex ratios, a substantial number of men have acquired poor women as brides from southern and eastern regions of India like West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, etc. In a country like India where each state has its own cultural and ethnic identity, such marriages are bound to have social repercussions. In this context, the migrant bride either negotiates within the given cultural space or gets completely assimilated into the newer culture. The present article is an attempt to understand the phenomenon of these cross-regional marriages in Haryana. Deliberations reflect on the resistance in the Haryana society in acknowledging that lesser availability of marriageable women is a fall-out of the skewed sex ratio. The article also dwells on the attempts to find facile explanations for cross-regional marriages in class and caste disparities.