Child Marriage

English Project Work

Prepared by:

Susmita Das

Class – X, Sec – B

Roll No. - 40

Throughout the world…

• Child marriage--a marriage in which one of the spouses (most often, the wife) is below the age of eighteen when the marriage is consummated

• Child marriage is common in India, Indonesia, various countries in sub-Saharan Africa

• In India, traditionally, the girl is “given” to her husband once she has her first period and is ready to bear children--often, in practice, she is given earlier

In India…

• Child marriage has been illegal for decades, but it is still extremely prevalent in certain regions

• In Rajasthan, nearly 80% of marriages are among girls under the age of fifteen

• Overall, almost 50% of girls are married by age eighteen

Marriage in India• Arranged marriage

is still most common, though this may not be true in the big cities

• Usually, the girls do not see their husband prior to getting married

• Joint family structure means that the married girls are forced to leave their parents at an early age

Why Do People Marry Their Daughters Early?

Child marriage is often used to cope with social conditions (most Indian men and women don’t agree with the practice, but do it out of necessity)

• Financial pressures of the dowry

• Value of virginity• Traditional gender norms• Poverty

Value of Virginity

• It is believed that husbands only want to marry virgins

• Parents fear that their daughters will engage in premarital sex, and this would bring dishonor to the family

• The earlier parents marry their daughter, the more they feel they ensure her virginity

Traditional Gender Norms

• Males are valued more in Indian families than females

• Girls are “reared to be obedient, self-sacrificing, modest, nurturant, hardworking and homeloving”

• “American girls are given too much independence. A girl should marry young, before she has the chance to develop independent ideals”

• Marriage helps preserve the hierarchy, especially if the husband is much older

Traditional Gender Norms

• Woman’s primary role is to produce sons (need an heir)

• A woman establishes her place in her husband’s family through reproduction

Traditional Gender Norms

• Sex-selective abortion is extremely common– 750 to 850 girls are born per 1000 boys

• Girls receive less health care– For girls who are born, “birth is the only equal

opportunity they will ever get”– Girls are 43% more likely than boys to die

before their 5th birthday

The Dowry

• The daughter’s family gives money or a large gift to the husband’s family

• Certain events mean that you are not required to pay a dowry, which encourages the parents to marry their daughters (despite a young age) when these events occur

• If the daughter is younger, the husband’s family may request a smaller dowry because they know that she is “pure”

Poverty

• With less money, one wants to give the daughter away early, because it is one less mouth to feed

• Families do not want to invest in the education or health of girls, because it is a lost investment

• Instead, girls are trained to be good wives until going to their husbands

What are the consequences of early marriage?

• High rates of HIV/AIDS• High rates of early childbearing

– Maternal and infant mortality are high

• Lack of health care• Lack of education• Girls are deprived of a voice in their

marriage and their community• Vicious cycle of poverty, low educational

attainment, high rates of disease, the subordination of women, etc.