MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE RIGHTS OF WOMEN: AN AWARENESS STUDY

Abstract

Islam has distinct rights for all different aspects of life. These rights also guide the sacred bond of Nikkah and divorce to provide justice to both the parties. This research is a study of public awareness about the issue of divorce and Nikkah rights among the students of the universities in the twin cities and also their coverage in media. The level of awareness people have about the rights enjoined to them in the MFLO 1961 and their religion. The study also looks at the importance these rights are given when covering social issues. The study was a quantitative one with a survey based on 21 questions and sample size of 400. The survey also looked at the marital status, income and gender of the sample size. The awareness of the Nikkah and divorce rights was observed from our sample size ranging from 16-30 years of age. The twin cities were chosen as our survey audience because the media exposure among people here is more than anywhere else. This age bracket was chosen because this age group is a heavy viewer of media and is more proactive about their rights. Also this age bracket includes people that have recently entered the arena of marriage or are about to. The study included students from the major universities as the level of media awareness is high here as compared to other institutes. The research shows a major lack of awareness of women’s rights among the youth of our sample size. The media plays a very marginalized and safe role when covering social issues. Women’s issues are not covered extensively especially the ones pertaining to marriage and divorce rights. The social setup is responsible for this menace.