Contrary to the general perception, the affluent in Punjab are the ones seeking greener pastures abroad for their daughters through the bonds of matrimony. Among them are the Sikhs, residents of the State's Malwa region, and the woman-headed households.
less than fifth of the households, around 17 per cent, prefer to have an NRI (non-resident Indian) match for their daughter.
The findings were the part of a study on "Dynamics of International Out-Migration from Punjab", carried out by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, and Institut National d'Études Démographiques, Paris.
The study, based on a sample of more than 10,000 households and 54,000 people, revealed that the desire for an NRI groom is high among prosperous households, defined by standard of living or the size of agricultural land.
The findings assume significance as a substantial number of young girls from Punjab are known to marry abroad without even carrying out a proper antecedent check.
The menace of the vacation marriages, little wonder, has been a matter of debate in Punjab since long.
The study also revealed that the trend to marry off their daughters abroad is more prevalent among the Sikhs, Malwa residents, and the households having women head. "Sikh households (21 per cent), households in Malwa region (20 per cent) and female-headed households (19 per cent) showed a higher prevalence of the desire for a foreign groom (NRI)," read the study.
Reason: 50 per cent believed that the NRI groom would guarantee "better future" to their daughter. 48 per cent are of the view that their daughter would have "a comfortable life" with NRI husband. 47 per cent maintained that they stay "more prosperous" abroad. Thirty-one per cent are lured by "foreign social security" provisions.
Besides, 17 per cent prefer international marriage as an improvement in the chances of immigration for other members in the household through new family networking and tie-ups. It is prominent among households with lowest standard of living (25 per cent) followed by the Malwa (24 per cent) and SC households (20 per cent).
The study pointed that the international out-migration and international marriages are firmly associated. "Studies have identified multiple motives behind international marriages. Since international marriages help in gaining citizenship and all its associated benefits, such marriages are increasingly viewed with caution," read the study.
It added that many global unions are considered to be source of human-rights abuse and exploitation of women because of marriage fraud, proxy marriage, etc.
Data on composition of marriages indicate that NRI marriages constitute only a minor share in the total number of marriages among all the households in Punjab. To be specific, among all the households solemnising marriage (s), only two per cent of households had at least a NRI wedding - wedding where one of the partners was a NRI or foreigner.
But the current emigrant households recorded higher prevalence of cross-border marriages (8 per cent) than return migrant as well as non-migrant households (less than 1 per cent each). However, share of cross-border marriages varied with change in socio-economic position of the households.
The study pointed that cross-border marriages were relatively more common in Doaba region or among the affluent households (owning more agricultural land or with high standard of living). "In contrast, less international marriages are reported from among the households in Malwa region or households without agricultural land," it stated.
Caste status also seems to be linked to international marriage with migrants from general caste households tend to have highest international marriages and the migrants from the SC households lowest international marriages.
The study found that the share of international marriages in total marriages seem to have fluctuated somewhere between 1 to 3 percent over a five and half-year period between 2005 and 2010. "Yet, the share of international marriages in the State of Punjab remains higher than the national average (estimated to be 0.5 per cent in 2005)," it added.