Peer-reviewed article
Role of social norms on early child marriage decisions among the parents of married and unmarried adolescent girls: Findings from a matched study in Bangladesh
Md Abul Kalam, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Asif, Md Mehedi Hasan, Shirin Afroz, Gopesh Chandra Das et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how social norms, attitudes, and practical concerns influence parents' decisions to marry off their daughters early in Bangladesh. Researchers compared parents of married and unmarried adolescent girls and found that combined social norms with practical reasons had the strongest link to child marriage decisions. The findings show that parents often justify early marriage as a way to protect girls and manage economic concerns like dowry costs.
Key points
- Combined social norms and prudential reasons had the strongest association with child marriage decisions (adjusted odds ratio 3.15)
- Parents of married girls were more likely to agree that early marriage provides security and prevents sexual violence
- Parents believed delaying marriage until age 18 would increase required dowry amounts, creating economic pressure for early marriage
- Attitudes related to sexuality, agency, violence, and religious beliefs significantly differed between parents of married and unmarried girls
- Social norms alone (without practical reasons) did not show significant association with child marriage decisions
Limitations
This matched cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or determine whether the measured attitudes preceded or resulted from the marriage decision. The findings are specific to one region of Bangladesh (Khulna Division) and may not represent all of Bangladesh or other contexts.
Abstract
Despite widespread recognition of social norms' influence on child marriage (CM), little is known about how to measure the most influential norms in parental CM decisions. Because of their pivotal role in marriage decision-making, measuring social norms among parents is a critical step to address CM through effective intervention. Guided by social norm theory and contextual attitude scale, this study examines the role of parental norms in CM decisions, aiming to inform policies and programs to address CM in Bangladesh. Data came from a cross-sectional matched study in Khulna Division, Bangladesh, with parents of unmarried (n = 127) and married (n = 127) adolescent girls. We developed several indices reflecting social norms, prudential reasons, combined norms and prudential reasons, and attitudes, based on social norm theory. We performed chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses to identify the role of social norms influencing CM decisions. Chi-square tests revealed that parents of married girls were more likely to agree with items across all measures. Adjusted logistic regression showed the strongest association with CM for the combined norms and prudential reasons index (aOR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.84–5.37), followed by attitudes (aOR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.85–4.18), and prudential reasons (aOR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.75–3.91). The association was not significant with the social norms index. Item-wise regression models showed that parents of married adolescent girls were more likely to agree on two prudential reasons items and several attitude items related to sexuality, agency, violence, and religious beliefs. CM decisions are shaped by a complex interplay of social norms, prudential reasons, and attitudes. Effective interventions must address these interlinked drivers to disrupt the cycle of CM. • Child marriage (under 18 years) remains a persistent issue in Bangladesh. • Social norms, expectations, beliefs, and attitudes drive child marriage of girls. • Parents believed early marriage provides security, and help prevent sexual violence. • Parents thought marrying after 18 years might increase the required amount of dowry.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Measurement and analysis of social norms, attitudes, and prudential reasons influencing parental child marriage decisions to inform future interventions
- Population
- Parents of unmarried (n=127) and married (n=127) adolescent girls in Khulna Division, Bangladesh
Key finding
Combined norms and prudential reasons index showed strongest association with child marriage (aOR=3.15, 95% CI: 1.84-5.37)