Indian Brides Told to Put Down Their Mobile Phones

An Indian state has told newly-wedded women to avoid talking too much on their mobile phones for the first two years of marriage in case it provokes jealousy from their husbands.

The Punjab State Commission for Women (PSCW) issued an official advisory last week urging brides "to focus on their domestic life instead of having long conversations on mobile phones".

Commission head Gurdev Kaur Sangha told Agence France Presse on Monday that the advice was designed to avoid suspicion between new couples as they adjust to their new life together.

"I found that almost 40 per cent of women consider seeking a divorce on the grounds that her husband and in-laws do not like her talking on mobile phones," said Sangha, 70, from Chandigarh, the state capital of Punjab.

"Most husbands said their wives are always on the phone and they doubted their character as they suspected them of talking to ex-boyfriends."

Sangha said she had seen a rise in complaints from women about domestic violence, sexual harassment and family discord due to arguments over brides being constantly on the phone.

The advisory said most newly-married women were actually ringing their parents not former boyfriends, but warned that passing on hourly updates about their new home was damaging.

It added that for at least two years brides should make "small adjustments" to help build a solid foundation for a marriage.