Marriage is defined as “the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman (or, in some jurisdictions, two people of the same sex) as partners in a relationship” (Google Search), and it is one of the most important parts of child and family development. Marriage is the sacred bond that is formed when two individuals dedicate their lives to one another and promise to support and be good to each other for the rest of their lives. It is crucial for family relations to be formed, and it is beneficial for a child growing up to have married parents that they can use for support and guidance. However, although there are many positives to marriage, it is not always a good thing, and can in fact sometimes be …show more content…
The authors explain how marital ages of girls are youngest in countries that have the lowest gross domestic product (GPD) and that are in the worst financial situations, stating that, “Poverty leads to a higher prevalence of child marriage because poor families consider that they have fewer resources and incentives to invest as alternative options for girls” (Mathur, 2003). They explain how child marriage is also influenced by the societal and social norms of the country of which they are from, a topic of that was discussed in depth in our Child and Family Development class. The authors also discuss the other possible negative effects that child marriage can have on a girl’s health. They explain that: Marriage at a very young age has adverse health impacts on both young women and their offspring. This includes increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), cervical cancer, malaria, maternal and child death during labour and obstetric fistulas (Nour, 2006).
Because girls are married during their teenage years longer, they also have an increased risk of teenage pregnancy, which can lead to other negative factors such as stress, financial problems, and loss of education, a topic discussed in depth during the “Methods” section of the …show more content…
This article was directly related to our Child and Family Development class, not only because it was all about marriage, a topic we learned about in Chapter 1, but also because it proved that this issue is ultimately affecting females on a far larger scale. By providing their audience with facts, they are able to prove that the age a girl gets married is directly correlated to the amount of education they are able to obtain, thus affecting their job, financial income, and amount of resources and care they are able to give to their family and child. Child marriage is a serious issue, and although it has been slowly improving over the last 20 years, the pace has been sluggish. However, through articles like these and classes like Child and Family Development 135, hopefully the world can become more aware of the issue and proper action be taken in order to resolve the