Mediating risk through young women's marital arrangements and intimate relationships in low-income communities in urban India

Marriage practices, decision-making process and contraception use among young married men in rural Odisha, India

Research on sexual and reproductive health including contraception use has predominantly focussed on women's behaviour. Much less is known about men's behaviour. We investigated the links between marriage practices and decision-making about contraception use among young married men in rural Odisha. This cross-sectional study used a mixed methods design. Data were collected through household surveys and in-depth interviews. Study findings revealed that over half of men were ill prepared for marriage and lacked understanding about what it would entail. Familiarity and communication between spouses were higher in self-arranged marriages and this contributed considerably to contraception use, while negative attitudes and lack of access to contraceptive supply and counselling hindered it. Many young men shied away from seeking contraception services at community level since the majority of frontline health workers providing such services were female. Findings reinforce the need for health system change to actively engage and involve young married men in decision-making about contraception use as well as to introduce male frontline health workers who can reach out to young men on SRH issues.

Semi-arranged marriages and dowry ambivalence: Tensions in the changing landscape of marriage formation in South Asia

Marriage is a point of change in young people's lives, especially in parts of the world that place high value on it, such as in South Asian countries including Nepal. However, marriage practices are changing, with a move towards more love marriage; this is likely to have important implications on women's status and agency, household and couple dynamics, and mental and physical health. The aim of this paper is to describe how changing marriage formation patterns and traditional practices such as co-residence and dowry are intersecting and impacting relationships post-marriage. In-depth qualitative interviews took place with 20 intact triads of newly married women, their husbands and their mothers-in-law, in one district of Nepal in 2017. Many marriages remain arranged; however, couples often talk or meet before marriage and feel that they are able to build a foundation of love before marrying. Access to technology facilitates this practice, although some couples are reluctant to admit their communication, suggesting stigma about this practice. Husbands have growing ambivalence about dowry, leading to confusion and negatively impacting on relationships post-marriage. A clash of traditional and modern ideas and practices is occurring in Nepal, influencing newly married women's household status and relationship quality, and potentially impacting women's health.