Indian men rent wives due to female shortage

[Grimmlok]

NEW DELHI — Some husbands in western India are renting out their wives to other men, cashing in on a shortage of single women available for marriage, according to a news report Monday.

Atta Prajapati, a farm worker who lives in Gujarat state, leases out his wife Laxmi to a wealthy landowner for $175 US a month, the Times of India reported, citing unidentified police officials. A farm worker earns a monthly minimum wage of around $22.

Laxmi is expected to live with the man, look after him and his house, and have sex with him, the report said.

The Times said this was not an isolated incident in the western state, and that several men rent their wives to other men on a month-by-month basis.

Gujarat officials were unwilling to comment on the report when contacted Monday by The Associated Press.

The male-female ratio is becoming increasing skewed across India because many parents abort female fetuses, preferring sons to daughters.

Female children must be married off, and to achieve that a daughter's parents usually have to pay the groom's family a dowry of cash and gifts — often a massive burden on the parents' resources.

Dowries were outlawed in 1961, but the practice is still common and the law ill-enforced.

The nationwide number of girls per 1,000 boys declined from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001, according to the 2001 national census. But in wealthy Gujarat state, the census showed 828 females for every 1,000 males, although officials say the number could be as low as 700 girls per 1,000 boys in parts of the state.

It is not unusual for wealthy families to hire housekeeping staff in India, but prostitution is illegal.

The lack of marriageable girls in Gujurat has also led to booming business for bride brokers, who are paid to find a woman for a man to marry.

Brokers charge a groom's family up to $1,520, and the girl's family will receive around $435, the newspaper said.

Torontostar.com

[Delphinium]

So basically the husbands are pimping out their wives. prostitution is prostitution no matter what name you try to use to deny it. that is sick and sad. I think we need to start giving amnesty to Indian women. Heck ALL women from that part of the world. They need to come to America and have freedom.

[moomies]

I was watching something on TV yesterday about how there are as much as 30% more males than females in some parts of Asia like India and China because of female infanticides.

[Tati]

See, people really need to think ahead.

[WickedHo]

Originally Posted by JungleMonkey

So basically the husbands are pimping out their wives. prostitution is prostitution no matter what name you try to use to deny it. that is sick and sad. I think we need to start giving amnesty to Indian women. Heck ALL women from that part of the world. They need to come to America and have freedom.

Oh, nobody's denying it. They called it that in the article. And regarding that last statement? You should amend it to say "some" freedom.

It's a sad state of affairs when it's come to pimping out the wife. I guess what I find uplifting about the article is the fact that, even on the low end of the estimation, girls are 70% of the population. There's hope yet. I hope.

[LynnieD]

Heard men are turning to men too over there...

[dakodas]

Whatever they are doing, they aren't using condoms. HIV infection is on the rise there and this rent-a-wife program can't be helping. India has more people infected than any other nation in the world. Scary, kids.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapc...ion=cnn_latest

[Lobelia]

This situation has huge potential for abusing women. Just look at the way people treat rental cars. If women get this little respect, I hate to think of how they're treated during that month.

[KD]

Originally Posted by WickedHo

Oh, nobody's denying it. They called it that in the article. And regarding that last statement? You should amend it to say "some" freedom.

It's a sad state of affairs when it's come to pimping out the wife. I guess what I find uplifting about the article is the fact that, even on the low end of the estimation, girls are 70% of the population. There's hope yet. I hope.

It's a 7:10 ratio; they are not 70% of the population.

[Tenaj]

Originally Posted by moomies

I was watching something on TV yesterday about how there are as much as 30% more males than females in some parts of Asia like India and China because of female infanticides.

Thats what upsets me, what on earth did they think would happen further down the line?

[Mr. Authority]

I thought marriage was something more sacred in that part of the region. guess I was wrong.

[equallydivided]

Originally Posted by Lobelia

This situation has huge potential for abusing women. Just look at the way people treat rental cars. If women get this little respect, I hate to think of how they're treated during that month.

Sorry, that part struck me as funny.

[crumpet]

I thought marriage was something more sacred in that part of the region. guess I was wrong.

Ha Ha! It's as sacred as a bond can be between 6 or 7 people, lol! Anyways, I don't really give a flip about these dumbassess in India and China. I just feel sorry for the females in that culture. Who the hell did these mental midgets think their sons would grow up to marry when they've killed off half the damn female population? Are they supposed to mate with goats? It also bothers me that these wives likely have no say in whether or not they get rented out. I'm surprised more women don't kill their husband's over there.

[Grimmlok]

Originally Posted by Lobelia

This situation has huge potential for abusing women. Just look at the way people treat rental cars. If women get this little respect, I hate to think of how they're treated during that month.

[equallydivided]

Those poor, poor women.