THIS refers to the letter ‘Late marriages’ (Nov 12) which mentioned dowry as an important factor leading to the afore-mentioned practice. There are some other aspects that lead to late marriages.

A widely held opinion to delay marriage is to allow for the boy or the girl to complete his/her education. However, ‘completing studies’ sometimes delays the marriage component for such a long time that signs of ‘old age’ start to appear in the person! Marriage, certainly, does not hamper the completion of studies. Moreover, studies continue for years after graduation; they must not be the deciding factor for marriage.

Besides, many people believe that boys should be ‘financially stable’ before tying the knot. While this may be essential to some extent, linking ‘financial stability’ with, say, the ownership of a house, a car, a bank balance in millions, and a regular source of ‘above average’ income is a fallacy. Generally speaking, such ‘financial stability’ can only be attained after at least a decade of graduation, if not more, and practising extreme miserliness all these years.

Social evils are becoming more and more rampant in society because we have made the contracting of marriages really tough by setting absurd prerequisites. We must ponder over the direction in which we, as a society, are heading.

Muhammad Majid Shafi
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2021