Insight into decision of marriage by late teens and early-twenties women in Dhaka middle class: their agency, respectability and role of external factors

Abstract

Women in the 21st century have made an insurmountable amount of progress in terms of education, employment, decision making power and overall autonomy over themselves. In the context of Bangladesh where this paper is based, this progress is very visible on paper as well as on sight. More and more women are attaining higher education and joining the workforce and taking control of their lives. Women are no longer bound by the tradition of marriage as soon as they become adults but have now the opportunity to further their careers, education and excel in different previously male dominated fields. However, given all of this progress and opportunities now available for women in this country, many women are still voluntarily opting into the custom of marriage before graduating from university or immediately after. This paper will investigate why women are making this decision and justify this phenomenon from social, religious and various other perspectives.