Premature Marriage:
Premature marriage is a common feature in the poorer counties of the world. Ours is a poor country. Here premature marriage is out of control. It means the marriage of the boys and girls before attaining their physical and mental maturity. In our country, girls are the victims of premature marriage. In the existing socio-economic set up, girls are neglected from their birth. They are regarded as liability. So, when a girl child is born, it is not regarded as a happy event. Instead of being delighted, the male members think that she has come to add to their misery. So, the parents try to look for a husband for her even before she attains physical and mental maturity. Obviously, there are many causes of premature marriage. First of all Bangladesh is an agricultural country. For agricultural work female children can‘t contribute much. Secondly poverty is an ever present spectre in our country. So the father of a girl thinks that his burden will be less if he can marry his daughter off early. Thirdly, religious misinterpretation and social structures discourage, often prevent girls from going to co-education schools. As a result, the girls can‘t receive proper education. Fourthly, our evil dowry system is also responsible for premature marriage. Many problems are created because of premature marriage. As they are not matured, they can‘t adjust with the environment of their in-laws‘ house. They cannot serve the family. Sometimes, it so happens that if the father of the girl fails to fulfil the demand of the dowry, she is maltreated, tortured and in extreme cases killed by the husband. So, they suffer from both physically and mentally. This should not be allowed to continue. A proper solution to this problem must be found out. Our govt. has already made a law. Early marriage is a punishable deed. According to the law, a girl before eighteen and a boy before twenty one cannot marry. But the premature marriage occurs everywhere. Every conscious citizen must come forward against it. Different mass media can play a vital role in this regard. They should create awareness among people about the bad effects of premature marriage. After all, parents should be very much conscious of their children‘s career. If we can do all these things, we will be able to curb this evil act.
Gender Disparity/Discrimination:
Gender disparity means gender discrimination or difference between male and female in the field of observing rights as a human being. In the developed countries there is no gender disparity. But in our country this disparity is severe. It pervades both rural and urban communities. It is especially seen in the rural areas too much. Many girl students are deprived of getting educated both in towns and villages. Only boys are allowed to go to school, college and university and most of the conservative families do so. In many families of Bangladesh especially of the villages, boys and girls are not treated equally. Many parents love their sons more and always give them more facilities than their daughters. They usually think that educating a daughter is nothing but waste of time and money. After class seven or eight they think that they should marry their daughters off. Even many of the modern and educated families of our country do not think higher education for their daughters or sisters. They do not allow their daughters, sisters and wives to do a job outside the home. They are kept busy with maintaining different household chores and bringing up children. But on the other hand, boys or male members of the family are allowed to go to school, college and to complete higher education and to do any job anywhere outside the home. However, both males and females should be considered equal, should be given equal rights and facilities and should be exploited equally so that women can play a vital role in the development of the country like men. For this, we have to educate all females and have to change the mentality. We have to make them aware that women can do the same thing of men. Like men, women can change their lives by working with men and earning a lot of money. After all, government should take effective measures to diminish gender disparity for the development of the country. So, if we want our own betterment, we, both males and females, have to work together.