In particular, 52 per cent of women aged 20-24 years were married in 1997, compared with 46 per cent in 2002. The level of age specific marital fertility rate peaks in the age group 20-24 years and afterwards it declines at older ages. In the age group 20-24, both rural and urban areas experience an almost equal decline in the proportion of currently married women between the two surveys. In both the settings, marriage postponement clearly was observed.