LUCKNOW, Oct. 10 -- While women empowerment and schemes like Mission Shakti are being promoted not just by the government but also by individuals at their levels, a study conducted under the leadership of Prof Rakesh Kumar Singh and project fellow Pradeep Kumar Singh in the faculty of law at Lucknow University revealed that over 78% women in the state endorse changes in Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for changes in legal marital age from 18 to 21. As part of the study, at least 79.6% unmarried women supported the need for changes in the marital age while 75.8% married women also gave their nod to the cause, which shows a significant social dynamic. "While unmarried women, who have not yet faced direct social and familial pressures of marriage, are responding based on their aspirations - for education, career and personal autonomy, married women's slightly lower support may be a reflection of their understanding of the practical difficulties in implementing this change, even if they agree with it in principle. This difference suggests that while the younger generation is fully prepared for change, the success of the law will depend on persuading and supporting older, married women and their families, who play a crucial role in marriage-related decisions," said Singh. The research was conducted as part of Mission Shakti, which elevates the research from an academic exercise to a piece of policy-oriented research with clear state backing. However, the study also revealed that the matter of concern is that approximately 22% of respondents either oppose the change or are undecided. "The main reason for opposition is the fear of social pressure, physical safety and "honour" of unmarried women and risk of love marriages and elopement - considered to bring "dishonour" to the family. If the government wants the law to succeed, it must take these fears seriously and invest in public safety, police reforms and comprehensive social campaigns to change the patriarchal mindset. Currently, there are minor variations in the age of marriage across different personal laws. The proposed law, which would set the marriage age for girls at 21 across all religions and communities, will bring immediate uniformity to a major area of civil life," Singh added....