Peer-reviewed article
Understanding the sociality of child marriage
Rachana Sharma, Arupa Shukla, Dhuwarakha Sriram, Vimala Ramakrishnan, Mandira Kalaan et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined why child marriage persists in four Indian states, finding that social norms—not poverty—are the main driver of the practice. Girls experience these norms both directly through community interactions and indirectly through their parents' beliefs. The research shows that effective interventions against child marriage must address the social and cultural structures that support the practice, not just economic factors.
Key points
- Social norms played a greater role than economic wealth in child marriage decision-making
- Adolescents, particularly girls, experienced social norms through both community interactions and parental attitudes
- The study was conducted in four Indian states: Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam
- Interventions need to address societal structures and historical marginalisation at family and community levels
Limitations
The document does not specify the study's sample size, methods, or quantitative findings in detail. It is unclear what specific interventions were tested or evaluated, so the document appears to be a descriptive study rather than an intervention evaluation.
Abstract
Social norms can have a significant impact on prevalent attitudes towards child marriage and the education of adolescent girls. This article reports on a quantitative study in the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam, that highlighted that social norms played a greater role than economic wealth in related decision-making. Adolescents experienced social norms both through their own interactions with the larger community and through their parents’ attitudes, especially in the case of girls. Interventions targeting adolescents need to factor in societal structures, historical marginalisation, and norms that influence adolescents and their families at the family and community levels.