‘The School Was Closed, So When They Brought Me A Husband I Couldn’t Say No’: Exploring the Gendered Experiences of Child Marriage Amongst Adolescent Girls and Boys in Ethiopia

This study explores child marriage experiences among adolescent girls and boys in two regions of Ethiopia using interviews conducted between 2017 and 2020. Ethiopia remains among the top five countries globally for the absolute number of married girls, with significant differences between regions in why and how child marriage occurs. The research applies a capabilities framework to examine both girls' and boys' experiences and the economic and gender norms that drive both parent-arranged and adolescent-initiated marriages. The findings show that economic conditions and gender norms affect girls and boys differently.

Key points

• Ethiopia ranks in the top five countries globally for absolute numbers of married girls
• Child marriage occurs through both parent-arranged and adolescent-initiated pathways
• Economic and gender norms are context-specific drivers of child marriage
• Girls and boys experience child marriage and its consequences differently
• School closure was cited as a factor enabling child marriage by some respondents

Limitations

The document is an abstract and does not provide detailed findings, effect sizes, or analysis of the mechanisms underlying the gendered differences in child marriage experiences. We cannot determine from this abstract alone what specific policy recommendations emerged from the study.