Adolescent Girls’ Early Marriage Intention and its Determinants in Eastern Ethiopia: A Social Norms Perspective
Outcomes: Child, Early, and Forced Marriage
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways This study confirms that early marriage is upheld by strong injunctive and descriptive norms in Eastern Ethiopia. Community expectations and the perception of social rewards or sanctions for compliance contribute heavily to parental intentions. Effective interventions must directly address these social norms—particularly in rural, less-educated populations—by shifting collective beliefs and expectations, not just individual knowledge.
Objectives This study aimed to examine the role of social norms in shaping parents’ intentions to marry off their adolescent daughters before age 18 in Eastern Ethiopia. It focused on understanding how attitudes, expectations, and community norms influence early marriage intentions among both mothers and fathers.
Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2019, involving 859 mother-father pairs of unmarried adolescent girls (n=1,718 total). Using a structured questionnaire informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study measured parents’ attitudes, perceived norms (empirical and normative expectations), and sanctions related to early marriage. The researchers used log-binomial regression models to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) for factors associated with early marriage intention.
Results Intentions to marry off daughters early were reported by 39.7% of mothers and 43.5% of fathers. Key factors associated with higher intention included favorable personal attitudes toward early marriage, belief that others in the community engage in or expect early marriage (empirical and normative expectations), and lower education levels. Rural residence also significantly increased early marriage intention (APR for mothers = 2.06; for fathers = 1.61). Knowledge of the legal or health consequences of early marriage did not significantly reduce intention.
Conclusions Despite broad awareness of the risks and illegality of early marriage, strong social norms—particularly among rural and less-educated parents—continue to drive support for the practice. Norms around what others do (empirical expectations) and what others think one should do (normative expectations) play a significant role.
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