Age at marriage is known to influence the fertility performance of women, in the sense that if the age at marriage is low, women start having their children at an early age, and these children, in their turn, begin to procreate early.
By rising the age at marriage, specially for women, we cut down on their reproductive span and thus reduce fertility. It has been calculated that an increase in the mean age at marriage in India by three years during the period 1891-1901 to 1951-1961 has resulted in a 3 to 4 per cent decline in the birth rate over that period.
It has also been estimated that if female age at marriage in India is raised to 19 years or more, the birth rate may decline by 25 to 30 per cent.
It is sometimes argued that the raising of the age at marriage does not by itself lead to any reduction in fertility unless it is particularly high, as in the case of Ireland, and unless some conscious effort is made to control fertility, since women tend to make up for lost time by having children in quick succession.
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The indirect effect of raising the age at marriage may be considered to be more important, for women marrying later are likely to have more opportunities for education and employment, will be more mature while entering marriage, and will be more likely to subscribe to the idea of voluntary parenthood.
All these factors have implications for their fertility performance. But this raising of age at marriage will have an impact on fertility only when the law relating to it is uniformly enforced throughout the country.