Understanding the Sociality of Child Marriage
Outcomes: Child, Early, and Forced Marriage, Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways This study demonstrates that social norms—especially those surrounding gender roles, dowry, and the perceived value of girls—play a more influential role than economic factors in shaping attitudes and decisions around girls’ education and child marriage in India. Mothers, in particular, often internalize and reproduce norms prioritizing domestic roles and early marriage over education for girls. The findings underscore that shifting community norms and parental attitudes, especially intergenerationally transmitted beliefs, is critical to preventing child marriage and enhancing adolescent agency.
Objectives To assess the role of social norms, alongside socio-economic factors, in influencing parental and adolescent attitudes and behaviors regarding girls’ education and early marriage in India.
Methods A mixed-methods baseline survey was conducted in 2014 across four Indian states (Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam). Quantitative data were collected from 18,740 respondents, including adolescent girls and boys aged 10–19, their parents, and key informants. Multinomial logistic regression and Pearson’s chi-squared tests were used to explore associations between socio-economic indicators and attitudes related to girls’ education, dowry, household roles, and marriage.
Results Parents’ education and family size significantly affected girls’ school attendance, with lower education levels and larger families correlating with higher dropout rates. Mothers were more likely than fathers to agree with attitudes reinforcing early marriage and domesticity for girls. Social norms—such as beliefs about increased dowry demands for educated girls and the prioritization of marriage over schooling—were strongly associated with attitudes toward adolescent girls’ development. Girls currently in school were more likely to reject these norms, while married girls often accepted them, indicating a reinforcing cycle of disempowerment.
Conclusions Addressing child marriage requires tackling entrenched social norms that undervalue girls’ education and reinforce early marriage. Interventions should target both adolescents and parents, particularly mothers, to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of harmful gender norms. Empowering adolescents through education must be paired with normative change strategies at the community and household levels to be effective.
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