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Tamil Nadu’s marital landscape is still characterised by the prevalence of consanguineous marriages, according to the State’s Economic Survey 2025-26 of the State Planning Commission (SPC).
At 28%, Tamil Nadu reports the highest incidence among its peer States – Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. As per estimates based on reports and fact sheets of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - 5, Tamil Nadu is followed by Karnataka with 26.6%, Maharashtra (14.8%), Gujarat (6.4%) and Kerala (4.4%). The all-India average is 10.8%.
Though Tamil Nadu’s visible pattern of marriage is attributed to the cultural factor, many Tamil feature films, knowingly or unknowingly, have been highlighting the aspect of consanguineous unions.
The survey acknowledges that the pattern carries “recognised genetic risks. Rising urbanisation and targeted public health communication may help reduce the prevalence of such unions”.
Child marriages
The report also says the concept of child marriages is still in vogue, and has been defined by women, aged from 20 to 24 at the time of the survey, as getting married before the age of 18. In rural areas, the proportion of such women is 15.2%, and in urban areas, it is 10.4%. The State’s average stands at 12.8%, while the all-India average is 23.3%. The median age of women (in the age group of 25-29) at first marriage is 22 against the all-India average of 19.7.
In terms of access to education, female literacy among women aged 15-49 has reached 84%, with 24.3% completing 12 or more years of schooling. These have been exceeded only by Kerala (97% and 30.4% respectively). Maharashtra closely follows Tamil Nadu with 82.3% and 20.9% respectively. The figures of all-India average are 71.5% and 16.6%.
As for access to economic resources, 92% of the women have their own bank or savings account—higher than the national average, as well as most peer States. Awareness of microcredit programmes is high with 74%, while 18% of women report taking loans from them, underscoring the deep penetration of financial inclusion programmes.
Digital and media exposure reveal a mixed picture. Tamil Nadu has the highest television viewership among its peers with 83.4%, but it is the lowest (14.5%) with regard to readership of the print media. Internet use among women remains modest (about 47%). The rural–urban digital divide is pronounced: only 69% of rural women own a mobile phone, and only 39% report using the internet.
As for areas of concern, the State reports the highest proportion of pregnancies ending in non-live births (9.9%, compared to 6.5% in Kerala). This points to “persistent gaps in underlying maternal health conditions and quality of care, even in the context of strong service delivery,” the survey says. The next phase of women’s development requires a decisive shift from an input-driven approach to an outcome-driven governance model that evaluates whether programmes translate into meaningful improvements in empowerment, mobility, safety, employment, and well-being.
Despite high educational attainment, women remain concentrated in low-productivity services and face rising educated unemployment. Improving women’s health must be “prioritised.” This includes strengthening menstrual hygiene management, ensuring access to sustainable products, expanding clean public washrooms, reducing anaemia, improving cervical and breast cancer screening, addressing the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases and promoting healthier diets, the Survey adds.
Published - February 16, 2026 10:53 pm IST
