India, Feb. 9 -- The crisp air and bright February morning sun filter into a smoke-filled, dingy courtyard where sisters-ranging from toddlers to teenagers-flit in and out of a doorless room. A single curtain serves as the only shield for their privacy. It is 9am, and the home of 38-year-old Sanjay Kumar is buzzing. Most of his daughters are dressed in maroon and white uniforms, hurrying to get ready for school.

The eldest, 17-year-old Sarina, is preparing for her Class 12 political science pre-board exam at the village government school. Her sister, 16-year-old Amrita, is hunched over a chulha, blowing life into the embers of an earthen furnace. "The younger ones get mid-day meals at school; this is for the elder ones," Amrita says, sti...