> Indian laws, especially concerning marriage and divorce are extremely skewed towards women,
And that is because they needed to be.
- Indian women are still viewed by many family as a burden because of the pervasive dowry culture in indian society.
- Indian women are also expected to be a housewife / homemaker after she has kids and look after everyone's needs while being totally dependent on her husband / in-laws.
- Indian women are expected to give birth to sons.
- Most of them are married off between the age of 16-20 (18 is the legal age limit in India), sometimes even before they complete high school. (Child marriages are common too, but are reducing).
All these factors means that they are very vulnerable to the negative elements of indian society (of which there are many because it is a country of a billion+ people). The dowry factor means there is an incentive to not only harass woman for more money but also to get rid of them and marry again to get more dowry. (Before these laws were passed it was quite common to hear about wives being brutally abused and even killed for dowry. It still happens).
This is also why even the divorce laws are "skewed" in favour of the women in India. While indian men can re-marry more easily, indian women can't - indian society considers them as "damaged goods" because "she doesn't know how to keep a family together" (yes, the whole burden is only on her!).
More importantly, men view these divorce laws as "skewed" because of the alimony they have to pay. They feel outraged at the amount they have to pay to someone whom they now consider at the level of a "maid", rather than recognizing the sacrifice the women makes to be a house wife / home maker (a sacrifice that is sometimes forced upon her by society).
Indian laws are correcting the imbalance of power between a man and a woman in indian society. Sure, women are no saints. But they certainly are more than the men in India. (I know because I too am an indian guy who still has a tough time wrapping his head around how to perceive and treat women with what traditions and society expect from me vs the healthy respectful way).
And that is because they needed to be.
- Indian women are still viewed by many family as a burden because of the pervasive dowry culture in indian society.
- Indian women are also expected to be a housewife / homemaker after she has kids and look after everyone's needs while being totally dependent on her husband / in-laws.
- Indian women are expected to give birth to sons.
- Most of them are married off between the age of 16-20 (18 is the legal age limit in India), sometimes even before they complete high school. (Child marriages are common too, but are reducing).
All these factors means that they are very vulnerable to the negative elements of indian society (of which there are many because it is a country of a billion+ people). The dowry factor means there is an incentive to not only harass woman for more money but also to get rid of them and marry again to get more dowry. (Before these laws were passed it was quite common to hear about wives being brutally abused and even killed for dowry. It still happens).
This is also why even the divorce laws are "skewed" in favour of the women in India. While indian men can re-marry more easily, indian women can't - indian society considers them as "damaged goods" because "she doesn't know how to keep a family together" (yes, the whole burden is only on her!).
More importantly, men view these divorce laws as "skewed" because of the alimony they have to pay. They feel outraged at the amount they have to pay to someone whom they now consider at the level of a "maid", rather than recognizing the sacrifice the women makes to be a house wife / home maker (a sacrifice that is sometimes forced upon her by society).
Indian laws are correcting the imbalance of power between a man and a woman in indian society. Sure, women are no saints. But they certainly are more than the men in India. (I know because I too am an indian guy who still has a tough time wrapping his head around how to perceive and treat women with what traditions and society expect from me vs the healthy respectful way).