Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, And Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?

Koski, Alissa; Heymann, Jody

doi:10.1363/psrh.12055

Cited by 45 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Notably, the term child marriage is also used with reference to early marriages in high-income populations [e.g. 26 , 28 ], but not universally so. Indeed, while terminology appear to be becoming more consistently used as the end child marriage movement has accelerated, marriage at equivalent ages in the USA and Europe, has often been referred to as ‘teen marriage’ (ususally referencing an alternative threshold of <20 years, [e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What does the American public know about child marriage?

et al. 2020

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Global efforts to eradicate 'child marriage' (<18 years) increasingly target governments, the private sector and the general public as agents of change. However, understanding of child marriage may be subject to popular misconceptions, particularly because of ambiguity in the age threshold implied by the term 'child', and because awareness campaigns routinely emphasize extreme scenarios of very young girls forcibly married to much older men. Here, we ascertain public knowledge of child marriage via an online survey. Half of those surveyed mistakenly believed that the cutoff for child marriage is younger than the threshold of 18 years, and nearly three-quarters incorrectly believed that most child marriages occur at 15 years or below (it primarily occurs in later adolescence). Most participants also incorrectly believed that child marriage is illegal throughout the USA (it's illegal in only 4/50 states), substantially overestimated its global prevalence, and mistakenly believed that it primarily takes place among Muslim-majority world regions. Our results highlight important popular misconceptions of child marriage that may ultimately undermine global health goals and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Organizations seeking to empower women by reducing child marriage should be cautious of these misunderstandings, and wary of the potential for their own activities to seed misinformation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What does the American public know about child marriage?

et al. 2020

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“…Studies from the United States show that child marriage is associated with a dramatic increase in the likelihood of living in poverty and that women who married before the age of 18 were more likely to experience substance abuse and mental health disorders later in life (Dahl 2010; Le Strat, Dubertret, and Le Foll 2011). Evidence also suggests that marriages involving children are more likely to result in divorce than those among older persons (Glenn, Uecker, and Love 2010; Koski and Heymann 2018). Though these harmful associations are consistent over time and across social contexts, whether and to what extent they are causal remains unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Marriage in Canada

Koski¹,

Clark²

2021

Population & Development Rev

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Child marriage, defined as formal or informal marriage before the age of 18, is a globally recognized indicator of gender inequality. Canada has placed itself at the forefront of global efforts to end child marriage as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Despite these global aspirations, child marriage remains legal throughout Canada. Data from vital statistics agencies and recent censuses indicate that child marriage, although rare, is practiced across the country. In 2016, nearly 2,300 children between 15 and 17 years of age were in union, a prevalence of 0.2 percent. The vast majority (98 percent) of these were informal, common-law unions. Demographic patterns of child marriage in Canada are similar to those observed in many low-and middle-income countries. Girls were far more likely to be married as children than boys and typically wed much older spouses. There were marked differences in the prevalence of child marriage across the country, with the highest estimates found in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the territories. These findings draw attention to the discrepancy between Canada's domestic law and its foreign policy. They also highlight thorny challenges inherent in efforts to eradicate this practice in Canada and elsewhere.

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“…South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa regions account for the largest number of women married as children [1]; however, a recent report also shows high rates in previously understudied geographies like South America, where 25% of girls married before age 18 [3]. Girl child marriage is also increasingly documented in high-income countries like the United States, where a recent study estimates nearly 1% of 15-17-year-olds surveyed had been married, with variation across states [4]. (See Table 1 for countries with the highest prevalence rates.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining and deconstructing girl child marriage and applications to global public health

Efevbera

Bhabha

2020

BMC Public Health

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An estimated 650 million girls and women alive today married before their 18th birthday. Referred to as girl child marriage, the formal or informal union of the girl-child before age 18, the practice is increasingly recognized as a key roadblock to global health, development, and gender equality. Although more research than ever has focused on girl child marriage, an important gap remains in deconstructing the construct. Through an extensive review of primary and secondary sources, including legal documents, peer-reviewed articles, books, and grey literature across disciplines, we explore what the term “girl child marriage” means and why it more accurately captures current global efforts than other terms like early, teenage, or adolescent marriage. To do this, we dive into different framings on marriage, children, and gender. We find that there has been historical change in the understanding of girl child marriage in published literature since the late 1800s, and that it is a political, sociocultural, and value-laden term that serves a purpose in different contexts at different moments in time. The lack of harmonized terminology, particularly in the global public health, prevents alignment amongst different stakeholders in understanding what the problem is in order to determine how to measure it and create solutions on how to address it. Our intent is to encourage more intentional use of language in global public health research.

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Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, And Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?

Abstract: Child marriage occurs throughout the country. Research on the social forces that perpetuate child marriage is needed to inform efforts to prevent it.

Cited by 45 publications

References 27 publications

What does the American public know about child marriage?

What does the American public know about child marriage?

Child Marriage in Canada

Defining and deconstructing girl child marriage and applications to global public health

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