What is Widowhood in India ?

Widowhood is a state obtained when anyone either husband or wife is died. If husband die wife is called widows and if wife is dead husband is called widower. But any of them remarriage he/she is counted as married. The proportion of widow than the widows is always high in all societies at any time. The reason is that age of wife’s is always lesser than husband’s and another major reason is the possibility of remarriage is high for males. The mean age specified rate of married males is generally taken as rate of widowhood, for any age of wife. The widowhood age was slow in 1911-30 because of world war, epidemics and famines. It was higher in independent India, because of decrease in mortality and medical care. Higher age of widowhood is seen in UP, Punjab and Rajasthan. It is because of the remaining age found among Jaits, Gujars and Aheers. 

The average widowhood lies in between 36-37 years in Maharashstra, M.P, U.P,Punjab,. A.P and Jammu Kashmir. It is between 34-36 years of age in Kerala, Karanataka, Tamilnadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar. Now we find that 30-50 widows per 1000 married women. The incidence of widowhood in India in the early age group is high. It is low in the age group of 10-14 years. It is found that the mean age of widowhood is maximum in Christian and minimum in Jains. The order follow like this, Christians, Muslims, Hindu, Sikhs and Jains. There is a complete silence about widow remarriage in Indian census. So it is very difficult to have a quantitative analysis of widowhood in India. Some studies show that only 25.5% of widows are remarried in rural areas. It has been proved that widow marriage decreases when age of women increases. The widows of age 14 years generally occupies a great percent in remarriage especially those who have not gone to bridegrooms house. 

Widow remarriage depends upon the number as children of the widow. Widow remarriage is also depending upon the duration of widowhood. It has been found that childless widows are probably marrying within one year of widowhood. Some communities promote remarriage. It should be performed before the first anniversary of death of husband in some communities. Marriage of widows of one or two children takes place within four years. There are great restriction for remarriage among higher caste group than the lower caste group. Widows remarriage was a takes in India for a longer period especially in Middle ages. This situation still prevails in some communities. Our social reformers have considerably succeeded in changing the social views about remarriage . At present widow remarriage is even legally encouraged. In urban areas widow remarriage is being increasingly supported among the educated classes. These are the major factors that influence population dynamics.