Dhaka, March 6 -- On the restless streets of Dhaka, where flyovers rise above old bazaars and glass towers cast long shadows over rickshaw-lined lanes, a quiet transformation is reshaping the most intimate institution of our society. This change is not announced in political rallies or budget speeches, yet it is discussed in drawing rooms, debated in offices, and negotiated in private conversations across generations. Marriage, once defined primarily by ritual, religion and family consensus, is increasingly being recalibrated by economics. A new marital economy is emerging in Bangladesh, where decisions of the heart are weighed alongside calculations of income, opportunity cost and financial security.

Historically, marriage in this regio...