Peer-reviewed article
Social Determinants of Child Marriage in Rural India
Rajeev Seth, Vijayluxmi Bose, Yawar Qaiyum, Riti Chandrashekhar, Shubhangi Kansal et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This qualitative study documents the social determinants of child marriage in rural India through case studies of two adolescents and young women in Mewat District. The research identifies patriarchy, coercion, social customs, and intergenerational norms as major drivers of child marriage. The cases illustrate how social norms lead to uninformed decision-making and significant health complications for girls. The authors call for medical professionals to recognize child marriage as a public health emergency and implement preventive measures.
Key points
- Patriarchy, coercion, social customs, and norms were identified as major social determinants of child marriage
- Social norms influence intergenerational norms, perpetuating child marriage across generations
- Child marriage leads to multiple health complications, particularly when girls are abandoned by spouses
- The study was conducted in rural Mewat District through qualitative participatory medical histories
- Medical professionals are urged to implement preventive measures and provide anticipatory guidance
Limitations
The study is based on two clinical cases from one district, which limits generalizability to broader rural India or other contexts. The qualitative design does not quantify the prevalence of social determinants or measure the effectiveness of any interventions.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Child marriage represents a grave violence against children and deprives them of their rights to health, education, and a livelihood. Because child marriage should be recognized as a social and medical emergency, the social determinants of child marriage in India need to be mapped. The aim of this qualitative case study was to document social determinants of child marriage identified by the authors while providing community mobile health services in rural Mewat District, India. CASE REPORT: We present qualitative participatory medical histories and assessments of two clinical cases: an adolescent who is waiting to get married and a young woman who was married as an adolescent but developed multiple health complications after her husband abandoned her. CONCLUSION: Patriarchy, coercion, social customs, and norms were identified as major social determinants. The two cases demonstrate that social norms influence intergenerational norms and lead to uninformed decision-making and child marriage. In low- and middle-income countries, medical professionals should urgently address child marriage as a major public health problem. Primary care physicians and medical professionals should implement preventive measures and provide anticipatory guidance to prevent child marriage.