Abstract
This chapter focuses on the negative results of early and child marriages on women and children, drawing mainly on women’s stories gathered by the authors. Although the average age of marriage for females has risen dramatically over the last decades, early or child marriages (ECMs) are still taking place at alarming rates. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the legal age of marriage for girls was reduced from 18 to 9. Because of public pressure, this was increased to 13 in 2002 but limits can be evaded by several means. Young marriages have increased again during the last few years due to the problematic economy, resulting mainly from sanctions, corruption, inept government, and covid19. The authors hope that telling the stories of young brides and spotlighting the negative effects of early marriages on girls, women, children, marriages, families, and society will be of assistance to those making efforts to quell this practice.
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Acknowledgements
Our gratitude goes to the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Society, the American Institute of Iranian Studies, IREX, and Santa Clara University for providing funding for Hegland’s research trips to Iran. Most of all, of course, I am indebted to the people of Aliabad (a pseudonym as are all Iranian names used in this chapter) and all other people of Iranian background, anthropologists, and other experts who have assisted me with this manuscript. I am particularly grateful to Farideh Louie (BS in Nursing and Midwifery in Iran, MS in Nurse Practitioner specializing in Women’s Health in the USA) and sociologist Dr. Ashraf Zahedi who have both talked with me for many hours about underage marriages and to anthropologist Dr. Erika Friedl who provided information and is always available for assistance. This is only my second article about sexuality issues (see Hegland 2020a). I plan to continue interviewing women in Aliabad and elsewhere who were married young and others about their ideas, views, and information to prepare a book about early and child marriage (ECM) in Iran.
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Hegland, M.E., Karimi, M. (2021). Child Marriages and Their Results: Insights from Women’s Stories. In: Hosseini, S.B. (eds) Temporary and Child Marriages in Iran and Afghanistan. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4469-3_4
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