Daughters of Bharat

A Deprived Section of the Society-II

- 

percent of girls are of the age of 15-19 years. A clear impact of education is seen on the age of marriage.

The average age difference between a graduate and an illiterate girl at the time of marriage is four and a half years. Sometimes they are married before they even reach puberty. 90 percent of them become mothers within the first one or two years.

According to the data collected by N.N.M.B. (1980) during the year 1975-78, girls in the age group of 13-18 years get less iron than the recommended amount as compared to boys. Young girls become anaemic as a result of menopause due to deficiency of iron in the diet. Low birth weight and basic delivery related complications are more common among teenage mothers

Girls/women who give birth to their first child at an early age are at risk of birth complications. After the first menstruation around the age of 14, they have to endure the pain of intercourse. Their bodies and reproductive systems are immature. Apart from the requirements of tissue maintenance and foetal development, they also have to meet the nutritional demands for their own growth.

Adverse effects