Let me begin with a cliché: at the pulsating centre of every Indian family are marriages. But who benefits from them? Apart from the wedding planners, caterers, decorators and other related businesses, the main beneficiaries of marriages in our country are – drumroll – men.
So, it was quite amusing when a section of Indian men went on a #MarriageStrike earlier this year, even as a bench of judges were hearing public interest litigations filed way back in 2015 that sought to criminalize marital rape. India has strict anti-rape laws – but with an exception that says sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife cannot be termed rape. This clears the path for men to get away with sexual assault within marriages.
