Rising gold, no jobs delay marriages

Gold, long central to Kashmiri weddings, has become a major stumbling block for people in Kashmir, as elsewhere in India. That is despite the tumble in the gold prices over the past few days. To state the obvious, gold in intrinsic part of Kashmiri wedding tradition. From the engagement to the nikah, from gifts for in-laws to the ornaments a bride wears on her wedding day, gold is everywhere. But with prices climbing steadily, families are being forced to rethink plans they once took for granted. A large section of the population has been, in a way, priced out of the gold purchases. They are opting for lighter jewellery or cash gifts.

Still, gold is only part of the problem. The heavier burden is unemployment. With large numbers of young people either without work or stuck in unstable, low-paying jobs, marriage is no longer seen as the natural next step into adulthood. It has become something to be postponed until financial stability arrives. Secure employment is now considered essential for both partners. Dual incomes are no longer an aspiration; they are a necessity.

The unemployment in J&K is now at around 30 percent and is among the highest in India. This is one of the fundamental reasons for delayed marriages. Women in J&K marry at an average age of 26 which is the highest in India. This also reduces the window for childbearing. At the same time, a significant number of those who are employed are actually underemployed, limiting their capacity to support larger families and forcing them to stop at one child.

While little can be done about gold prices, whose rise is tied to global factors, the government certainly needs to take steps to ameliorate unemployment in the union territory. Kashmir cannot afford to let an entire generation keep waiting, busy in tracking gold prices, scanning job lists, and hoping stability arrives before time quietly runs out.