Marriages under the age of 18 are known as child marriages. The main objective of this research is to study the factors influencing child marriage and its multiple consequences. The research method is a qualitative meta-synthesis inductive type covering the period from 2010 to 2023. Using non-probability (purposive) sampling, 96 scientific documents were extracted from NoorMags, Magiran, and IranDoc scientific databases. After screening and selection, 55 documents were chosen as the sample size and entered the analysis phase. The findings indicate that cultural factors (cultural poverty, low status of knowledge, cultural pressure, norms, and beliefs); social factors (family violence, collapse of social capital, collapse of the family institution, risky lifestyle, social pressures); economic factors (pressure of poor life, relative deprivation, insecure job future, materialistic view of marriage); psychological factors (psychological fear, low self-esteem, negative label, psychological pressures); and contextual-demographic factors have significantly contributed to the emergence and prevalence of child marriage. Child marriages have also had consequences that lead to marital crises, high-risk marital behaviors, cultural poverty, increasing economic burden, identity crises, feelings of insecurity, violence, decreased physical health, and unsafe lifestyles.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Child marriage, in some provinces of Iran, has occurred earlier than the legal age, influenced by social, economic, psychological, and cultural norms. Although marriage is a vital aspect of human life and the survival of the family institution, contributing to the reduction of abnormalities and social harms, child marriage can have various negative consequences. The incidence of child marriage has increased in the provinces of the country due to traditional contexts, ethnic norms and practices, as well as socio-economic pressures from 2011 to 2023. Various researches have been conducted on its reasons and consequences, indicating the abundance of studies in this field. Given the breadth of studies (55 documents), the current research aims to meta-synthesize these findings due to the large volume of scientific works and the lack of empirical coherence in the findings. This research seeks to identify and analyze the most important reasons and consequences (effects) of child marriage in the provinces of Iran.
Methods and Data
Given the nature of the research (systematic review), the current research method is qualitative meta-synthesize. The research covers the period of 2011 to 2023. The statistical population included 96 documents from NoorMags, Magiran and IranDoc and free search on Google. These documents were examined using a non-probability (purposive) sampling method through screening and selection, with 55 documents remaining for the final analysis. Excel and Maxqda software were used for coding and drawing a tree diagram to analyze the texts. The Kappa index was used to measure the validity and reliability of the concepts, with values ranging from 0 and 1. The closer the Kappa value is to one, the better the consensus between the evaluators. Finally, based on the number of different and similar concepts created, the Kappa value was determined. The validity of the research, using expert opinions and the Kappa test, was estimated to be above 0.60.
Findings
1) Economic factors: The economy plays a crucial role in shaping social and cultural behaviors. Many actions and decisions are guided by economic evaluations, leading to serious and practical actions. The economic environment, including the pressures of poverty on individuals and family members, living in deprived areas with limited facilities, and the fear of not securing a stable job to achieve independence and meet social needs, has resulted in the predominance of material-financial attitudes over the cultural-social aspects of marriage. This has led to an increase in marriages under the age of 18 as a means to reduce economic pressures and form a family aimed at achieving economic independence (providing food, clothing, and housing).
2) Social factors: Based on the review of studies, child marriage from 2011 to 2023 is also influenced by social factors. The findings reveal that the increase in family violence (insecurity within the family environment), the decline in social capital, dysfunction and collapse of the family structure (leading to fragmented, crisis-ridden, and chaotic families), the emergence of high-risk lifestyles (addiction, unhealthy moral and social life, extramarital relations) and social pressures (poverty, social exclusion, peer pressure, and social labeling of single girls) have contributed to the normalization of child marriage in society.
3) Cultural factors: The results show that cultural poverty, low levels of knowledge, cultural pressures, and cultural norms and beliefs have played an important role in the tendency toward child marriage and its social acceptance in the provinces of the country. Societal pressures force individuals to marry early.
Conclusion and Discussion
Culture, with local education and traditions passed down from previous generations, keeps people trapped in cultural deprivation or poverty. Marriage, influenced by fatalistic beliefs and generational social norms, becomes a decision that individuals outside this cultural space cannot make independently. The devaluation of knowledge and the traditional society's low desire to continue the education of female children, coupled with the limited capacity to attract educated individuals, have led women to focus more on their traditional roles, such as housekeeping, childbearing, and achieving financial-economic independence through child marriage.
The economy, encompassing financial resources, income, money, financial-material capital, and basic needs (food, clothing, and housing), prioritizes individual actions over marriage. The unfavorable economic conditions and business environment, along with the pressures of poverty and economic needs, create mechanisms to escape these situations. Timely marriage and quick responses to suitors become strategies to reduce economic pressures and secure financial support. In the subconscious of children and parents, thoughts of reducing burdens and escaping poverty and financial crises lead to the materialization of marriage. An insecure job future and the flood of unemployed university graduates and young people, combined with class gaps and relative deprivation, accelerate and spread child marriage.
To avoid tense and violent atmospheres, children consider marriage and family formation as viable options. The decline in social capital (trust, cohesion, support, participation) and family affection, along with the collapse of the family structure, reduce the importance and quality of marriage. As a result, individuals and their families do not take the issue seriously. The reduction in the efficiency of the family's internal space, educational crises, marital incompatibility, violence between family members, and decreased social commitment to each other strengthen the grounds for child marriage.
From childhood, societal practices such as gender-specific expectations are taken seriously. When women do not feel safe within the family and society, they seek social approval and support through marriage. The stigma of being an "old girl" and the psychological pressure of not finding a husband in time lead to harassment and stress. Given the limited options for choosing a spouse, quick marriage becomes more preferable for families and young people. Additionally, low self-esteem, lack of psychological independence, lack of social-psychological skills, social isolation, and inability to make decisions, along with the interference of others and submission to relatives' decisions, lead women to choose child marriage.
Acknowledgment
This article was based on the research project supported by the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, titled "Factors Affecting Early Marriage and Its Consequences: A Meta-Synthesis of Studies from 2010 to 2022" under contract number 29324/D/1402. We extend our sincere thanks for this support.