Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society.

Question

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Suicide among young women is rising because patriarchal control in marriage, domestic violence, early marriage, blocked aspirations, academic pressure and untreated mental illness combine, a social fact in Durkheim's sense. NFHS-5 found about 29% of ever-married women aged 18-49 had faced spousal violence.

**Introduction**

The NCRB recorded 1,70,924 suicides in 2022, the highest on record, with family and marriage problems leading the causes among women. Durkheim's view of suicide as a social fact explains young women's vulnerability.

**Causes Rooted in Family and Marriage**

SKETCH: fishbone | Why Young Women Take Their Lives
effect: Young women's suicides
- Dowry, marital strain
- Domestic violence
- Exam, job pressure
- Choices denied
- Untreated depression
- Online abuse

1. **Fatalistic regulation**: Durkheim's fatalistic suicide, born of excessive regulation, fits young brides whose money and movement are controlled by in-laws, often under dowry pressure.
2. **Violence at home**: About 29% of ever-married women aged 18-49 had faced spousal violence (NFHS-5, 2019-21), and most never sought help.
3. **Early marriage**: About 23% of women aged 20-24 were married before 18 (NFHS-5), ending schooling and voice.
4. **Choices denied**: Opposition to self-chosen or inter-caste marriages, from family pressure to honour-based violence, traps young women between love and loyalty.

**New Pressures of Aspiration and Isolation**

1. **Blocked aspiration**: Education outpaces opportunity; female labour force participation, though 41.7% in PLFS 2023-24, trails men's, an anomic strain.
2. **Academic pressure**: Kota's over two dozen student suicides in 2023 show the toll of single-exam futures, sharper for girls who may get one chance before marriage.
3. **Digital harm and stigma**: Cyberbullying and sextortion add shame, while a treatment gap of 70% to 92% (National Mental Health Survey 2015-16) leaves distress untreated.

**Conclusion**

Young women's suicides are a social fact of patriarchal control, violence and blocked aspiration. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022, aiming for a 10% cut in suicide mortality by 2030, must pair mental-health care with women's safety and autonomy.

Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society.

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