A rise of ‘late’ marriage or singledom should not to be seen as a rejection of the institution of marriage as urban middle-class men and women prefer to remain single until they find conjugal love, one based on compatibility and ‘space’.
Author
Parul Bhandari, St. Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; O.P. Jindal Global University, India
Summary
This chapter studies the growing phenomenon of pushing the age at marriage for men and women in Delhi, India. It argues that a rise of ‘late’ marriage or singledom is not to be seen as a rejection of the institution of marriage. Rather, the urban middle-class men and women are seeking a specific experience of conjugal love, one based on compatibility and ‘space’, and until that is found they prefer to remain single.
Furthermore, it argues that the understanding of love is not just a romantic coupled one, but significantly includes self-love, and choosing a partner that can provide ‘space’ in a relationship. Crucially, it unpacks the entanglements of self-love and conjugal love, with cultures of consumerism and neoliberalism including leisure practices and therapy. In this way, this chapter argues that ‘late’ marriage or even singlehood, is not dissent to marriage as such, but a particular idea of romantic and conjugal love.
Published in: Dissent with Love: Ambiguity, Affect and Transformation in South Asia
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