Peer-reviewed article
What Are the Drivers of Child Marriage? A Conceptual Framework to Guide Policies and Programs
Stephanie R. Psaki, Andrea Melnikas, Eashita Haque, Grace Saul, Christina Misunas et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed paper presents a simplified conceptual framework identifying the key drivers of child marriage for girls. The researchers reviewed existing frameworks, consulted experts, and analysed qualitative data from Bangladesh, Malawi, and Niger to develop their model. The framework identifies five core drivers—social norms, poverty, lack of agency, lack of opportunity, and pregnancy or fear of pregnancy—that vary and interact across different contexts. The paper aims to help policymakers and practitioners design more targeted interventions by understanding how these drivers operate within specific settings.
Key points
- Five core drivers of child marriage identified: social norms, poverty, lack of agency, lack of opportunity, and pregnancy/fear of pregnancy
- Social norms and poverty are shown as underlying drivers that connect to the other three drivers
- Drivers operate at community, household, and individual levels
- The same drivers play out and interact differently across Bangladesh, Malawi, and Niger
- Framework is designed to help policymakers and practitioners select appropriate context-specific interventions
Limitations
This is a conceptual framework development paper based on literature review and qualitative data; it does not evaluate or test interventions for their effectiveness. The framework describes drivers but does not provide empirical evidence on which specific interventions work best to address each driver.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The child marriage field lacks a simplified framework that connects an understanding of the drivers of child marriage for girls to decisions about the design of interventions to delay marriage within different contexts and support married girls. METHODS: We reviewed existing child marriage frameworks and conducted consultations with experts working on child marriage. We then developed a simplified conceptual framework describing the key drivers of child marriage for girls. We explored how these drivers play out and interact using qualitative data from three settings where child marriage is common: Bangladesh, Malawi, and Niger. RESULTS: The final conceptual framework lays out five core drivers of child marriage for girls, which vary and interact across contexts. Social norms and poverty are shown as core drivers that underlie lack of agency, lack of opportunity, and pregnancy/fear of pregnancy. These drivers reflect community, household, and individual-level factors. The case studies highlight the important relationships between these drivers, and the way they interact within each context. We use these examples to explore how policymakers and practitioners might identify the most appropriate interventions to address child marriage across different settings. CONCLUSIONS: We offer this framework as a starting point to guide more targeted interventions and policies that address the complex combination of child marriage drivers within each setting. By adapting this framework to different settings, those designing and implementing child marriage prevention interventions can identify the key drivers in each setting, understand how those drivers interact, and more effectively target effective interventions.