...expected bear children right away. If she survives the physical tolls of childbirth, a young mother's life prospects often remain dim--as do those of her children, should they survive. Yet, many women perpetuate the cycle of early marriage with their own daughters for lack of better options.

Grinding poverty, traditional sexual mores, the low social status of women and lack of education all contribute to the practice of early marriage; early marriage, in turn, reinforces these conditions. Not surprisingly, then, researchers and policymakers in fields ranging from education to health to economic development are calling for a global campaign to delay the age at which women marry and to ensure that when women do marry, they do so of their own free will. The social transition to later marriage, however, is unlikely to be pain-free either for parents or for governments, since delayed marriage, by definition, means prolonged exposure at least to the possibility of premarital sex and its consequences.

Marriage as a Risk Factor

Most societies and cultures view marriage as a normal and expected rite of passage--an inherent good associated with safety for all involved. Indeed, in the United States, research indicates that marriage--although for reasons not entirely understood--does seem to bring with it a range benefits for individuals, couples and, especially, children. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) reports, for example, that children who grow up in a low-conflict household with married biological parents, when compared with children who grow up in other types of households, are usually healthier, more likely to achieve high education levels and less likely to become parents themselves while still teenagers.

There are limits, however, to what problems marriage can solve. In fact, too-early marriage, as CLASP also...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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