Hamid et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:164 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/164 A study by Wilson-Williams et al (2008) on violence against women in India describes the same socialization into submissiveness and obedience. The women expressed that their husbands felt that wives should always obey them and failure to do so resulted in their being abused and asked to leave home [23]. Our earlier study on young married women illustrates how the sub- missiveness they are trained into from childhood results in lack of control over their life [12]. Remaining in the comfort zone until the time of marriage At the time of puberty and first menstruation the young women learned to keep quiet about women’s issues and avoided thinking about marriage, sexual relations and childbearing, about which they had little knowledge. Instead they remained in their comfort zones, postpon- ing thinking about such issues until the time of mar- riage. Living in an illusion of being safe by not admitting their own desires and ambitions, the young women did not realise their lack of control over their lives. This false perception of safety, comfort and con- trol was supported by their families, who curtailed their mobility and ensured few external exposures. These findings are supported by studies in Pakistan and India, where women reported that they had limited control over their lives and that decisions pertaining to their pregnancy were taken by others [18,24,25]. Likewise, Mathur et al (2001) showed that Nepali adolescent girls were unable to realize their hopes for continued educa- tion, better paid jobs and delayed marriage and child- bearing because of restrictive social norms and institutions [26]. This is also consistent with other stu- dies identifying the need for accurate information about sexuality, reproduction and contraception in South Asian adolescents [2,9,12,21,26]. Role of media In our study the young women referred to TV advertise- ments as a source of information on contraception. Television played the role of a peer in the participants’ lives, as a source of both entertainment and education. A study in Pakistan found that men had access to differ- ent types of media while young women had limited access because of their restricted mobility and fewer opportunities from which to choose themselves [7]. Par- ticipants also referred to TV serials as showing impor- tance given to the husband and his family which evoked their fears about lack of control over their future lives. The young women identified and recognised how the roles in society affected the lives of women and caused them to question societal norms and wonder about their future. Some parents allowed the young women to com- municate with young married cousins and/or their fiancés during the engagement period. They started to Page 6 of 7 discuss married life and their approaching marriage trig- gered their thinking. They were keen to learn more about reproductive health issues and hoped to be able to communicate with their future husbands. Methodological considerations In this study, FGDs followed individual interviews. While the interviews focussed on individual concerns, the FGDs revolved around concerns about young women in general, and proved to be a successful strat- egy for further exploring feelings towards marriage and adulthood. They proved to be a valuable complement to the individual interviews as they allowed the participants to freely carry out lively discussions and bring up issues pertaining to their friends and acquaintances. Allowing the young women to choose the venue for the inter- views created a favourable environment for discussions, which provided a safe, comfortable forum in which they were able to openly voice their thoughts and feelings about growing up and entering into marriage. A limitation of the study could be that the participants might have had to report to their parents and therefore preferred not to answer certain questions. They could even have been instructed by their mothers between the first and second interview. The findings of this study are based on a limited num- ber of interviews and focus group discussions. They can thus not be generalised, but it is plausible to think that what the participants shared is also valid for other young women from similar backgrounds and in similar situations. Conclusions The experiences, views and fears of the young women in this study demonstrate how their socialization into sub- missiveness in a culture of silence around sexuality, lays the foundation for lack of control over their future reproductive health. This study identifies the role of television as a peer in their lives and highlights the need to bring about attitudinal changes within the home and extended family environment so that young women’s confusion and needs regarding sexuality can be addressed prior to marriage. Since these young women are allowed to move in a social network that is judged as acceptable by the family, community- based initiatives could provide socially acceptable informal discussion groups where young women could meet to discuss sexu- ality, child bearing and other marriage-related issues and have their queries addressed. These discussion groups and other future innovative initiatives, which are based on an understanding of the young women’s needs and have community acceptability, are much-needed and will be useful. Uplifting women’s self-identity and inte- grating women into decision-making, first with their