Does marriage retain its charm for women?

This is not a short story.Just a thought to invite the views of readers on the subject

I read in The Week that 51% of the American women are living without husbands. This percentage perhaps would need correction as it possibly included women whose husbands are working elsewhere or in Jail or female students above 15 . The point that was stressed that the percentage of women living without male companion is significant and is going up. The situation in India cannot be different though the percentage may be lower given its culture and customs. However the days are gone when women end up immediately after the school or college education as a wife getting married to a man. In the earlier days our society was such there was the parental and social pressure towards matrimony. Single woman were viewed with disfavour and suspicion. The women reconciled themselves to the status of a home maker ,an euphemism for an unpaid worker or a drudge, tending after the children, washing clothes, cooking, cleaning and doing all jobs that men loathed. The women were also not allowed to study beyond a point in the patriarchal society we lived.
All these are history now with women making giant strides in education and competing with men in the work place. Still the percentage of women beyond a graduation level is significantly low compared to male students.. There are only very few women competing in engineering, medical, IITs and IIMs with men when you remember that at the higher secondary level percentage of girls are equal or more in number than boys. Besides the women students compared favorably with male students in merit at that stage. The drop could only be due to the economic reasons along with the tradition of giving primacy to son’s education and daughter's marriage.
Be that as it may, it is a fact that large number of women are today economically strong with well paid jobs and independent income in all strata of society. They are not dependent on parents or husbands any more. They are free to do what they like and shape their lives as it pleases them. Getting shackled to a man thro marriage is not viewed as a priority. The work place and social circles offer them male companionship and even live-in relationships to such of those who need it..

It is only when they get into thirties they may contemplate to settle down. In such conditions the role of husband as bread winner with woman playing a subordinate role is passé. He is expected to share the household chores as much as the wife. There are even role reversal when wives go on tour or husbands stay at home. Wives are not afraid of seeking divorce where the marriages do not work out. Marriage viewed as a long term institution or a sacred bond has become fragile and requires considerable tolerance and give and take on both sides to succeed.The awe and fear that inlaws imposed on girls is also a vanishing feature atleast in the educated and employed classes.

Women have found that remaining single is not the end of the world and life can be as much exciting and enjoyable. With the advent of liberalization, rise in standard of living and increased job availability, the number of educated single women with steady income would only grow though it may not assume the proportions of the Western countries. How this phenomenon would affect the fabric of society eventually remains to be seen..