Fear of Marriage among Women in Kerala

Abstract

Romantic love and marriage are important aspects of lifespan development. A healthy marriage provides a primary support system for individuals in the long term and so is a cornerstone for a sound society. Especially for women in Kerala, marriage is considered an important milestone and for many cultures it is sacred. Though culturally varied, unmarried individuals face a higher risk of depression, loneliness, anxiety and isolation in the long term stemming from various life stressors, lack of consistent emotional support and the feelings of lack of meaning and purpose. Fear of intimacy among both genders has long been a concern that was addressed through psychological interventions like premarital awareness programs and counseling sessions at various educational, cultural and religious institutional levels. Recently there has been a spurt in fear of marriage among women in Kerala giving way to controversy. Studies identify various socio-cultural factors that have led to this widespread phenomena as fear of commitment, losing independence, marital abuse and domestic violence, financial burden, betrayal and infidelity etc.  The current study seeks to conduct a discourse analysis of recent articles on the issue as found on newspapers by women, in order to derive a psycho-social analysis of marriage in the recent social context of Kerala; the fear of marriage among women and its causes and implications. The study tries to make recommendations for further psychosocial interventions as necessary regarding the pertaining issue.