Beyond the statistic: exploring the process of early marriage decision-making using qualitative findings from Ethiopia and India

BMC Women's Health
Lotus McDougalAnita Raj

Abstract

Early marriage of girls (marriage < 18 years) is a pervasive abuse of rights that compromises maternal and child health. The common conceptualization of this practice as an outcome undermines the nuanced and sometimes protracted decision-making process of whom and when to marry. This paper uses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with females aged 13-23 years who participated in child marriage prevention programs and either married early or cancelled/postponed early marriage, and their key marital decision-makers in Oromia, Ethiopia (n = 105) and Jharkhand, India (n = 100). Social norms and the loss of a parent were stressors sustaining early marriage across contexts. Participants described three stages of early marriage: initiation, negotiation and final decision-making. Girls were infrequently involved in the initiation of early marriage proposals, though their decision-making autonomy was greater in groom-initiated proposals. The negotiation phase was most open to extra-familial influences such as early marriage prevention program staff and teachers. Across settings, fathers were the most important final decision-makers. The breadth and number of individual and social influences involved in marital decision-maki...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 18, 2020·Journal of Health Psychology·Canan Kuygun KarciNurdan Evliyaoglu
Sep 10, 2020·Archives of Women's Mental Health·Erensu BaysakYıldız Akvardar
Nov 17, 2020·Journal of Biosocial Science·M Niaz AsadullahZaki Wahhaj
Dec 16, 2020·SSM - Population Health·Lotus McDougalAnita Raj
Aug 11, 2021·Perspectives in Psychiatric Care·Pınar DuruÖzlem Örsal
Dec 8, 2021·Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters·Ruba Al Akash, Morgen A Chalmiers
Dec 16, 2021·Perspectives in Psychiatric Care·Pınar DuruÖzlem Örsal

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