Marriage, caste, and involuntary bachelorhood in Vidarbha, Maharashtra

This paper examines the phenomenon of involuntary bachelorhood and the perceived crisis in matrimonial relations in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. The first section analyzes 282 registered marriages from seven villages within a single Panchāyat to map spouse-donating villages and assess the enduring influence of caste and kinship in contemporary marriage practices. It contextualizes the ‘Indian marriage squeeze’ within rural settings, highlighting the roles of land, education, caste, and age in shaping matrimonial preferences. The second section investigates the qualitative causes and consequences of men's bachelorhood, bringing the concept of the marriage squeeze into the field. Through an ethnographic lens, we explore how young men struggling to find spouses navigate their bachelorhood, internalize their experiences, and negotiate shifting notions of masculinity amid agrarian stagnation and unemployment. Drawing on long-term fieldwork and close ties with affected men, this paper reveals how they grapple with the realities of marital exclusion and reconfigure their social identities.