India Women Demand Toilets Before They Get Married

Considering the country, the description of a knight in shining armor would be a man who is a vegetarian, does not drink alcohol, has a high rank in the caste system, and last but not least…can afford a toilet for his future bride!

This recent change has caused a revolution among women rights activists. Usha Pagdi, a mother of an 18 year old daughter, said,”I won’t let my daughter near a boy who doesn’t have a latrine.” The main reason? Women are sick and tired of squatting in rural fields or using the town’s public toilet. Over 665 million people, just over half of all Indian people, do not have access to a toilet.

A clever radio jingle can be heard by many a future bride, “No loo? No ‘I do’.” But in the Indian system, women used to be seen as a financial burden because of the tremendous dowry that it involves, now, though women have a complete education and are in the work force along with men. This is just another sign of the rapid industrialization of the country.

Now, young men work hard to provide that toilet for their future bride. A 22 year old man who hopes to marry soon said, “I will have to work hard to afford a toilet. We won’t get any bride if we don’t have one now, I won’t be offended when the woman I like asks for toilet.”