Patharia, a village-situated in the Bundhelkund region is stark contrast to other villages. Inhabited by the Bedia tribe, a part of the vimukta jati where adult members in the family never worked and depended solely on the earnings of the young girl involved in prostitution.

Reproductive health [1] practices among Muslim women in India have been little researched perhaps because of the widespread notion regarding the tight Islamic control over sexual behaviour and the sanctions against contraceptive use.

In choosing to look at the age of marriage, the study was conducted in the impoverished communities of Doroli of Alwar district and the Kathaputali colony, a slum area of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. Both areas are