Marriage Practices Research Articles

Prevalence and Factors Affecting Child Marriage Practice among Rural Indigenous Communities in Sibu, Sarawak.

Prevalence and Factors Affecting Child Marriage Practice among Rural Indigenous Communities in Sibu, Sarawak.

Caroline Waerzeggers. “Changing Marriage Practices in Babylonia from the Late Assyrian to the Persian Period”

This article analyses the development of marriage practices in Babylonian according to marriage agreements and other legal records, in particular texts relating to the dowry, from the neo-Assyrian to the Achaemenid period. It can be shown that a clear bifurcation of society is in evidence, and the old-established urban elites, priestly families, did not mingle with socially inferior strata (comprising groups of different economic means: the urban poor, immigrants and deportees but also homine...

Брачное поведение женщин-мигранток из стран Центральной Азии

The results of a study of the features of matrimonial behavior of migrant women from Central Asian countries are presented in this article. The conclusions are based on the analysis of statistical data on the number of marriages between citizens of different States in the Russian marriage market. Marriage in the migration process is a widespread phenomenon. In some countries, the proportion of marriages with foreigners reaches 30—40 % of the total number of marriages. In Russia, the share of marriages complicated by a foreign component is 6,5 %. Of these, the largest number of marriages were concluded by citizens of Ukraine. The countries of Central Asia — Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — occupy the second, fourth, sixth, and ninth positions in the list, respectively. Citizens of Turkmenistan are much less active in getting married in Russia. In our country, number of marriages with foreign men is significantly higher than foreign women. However, this ratio is not met among citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: more marriages are performed by women than men. The total marriage rates among migrants were calculated to determine the intensity of marriage by foreigners from Central Asian countries. The highest value of the total marriage rate of migrants is observed among citizens of Tajikistan, the lowest is among citizens of Turkmenistan. At the same time, the total marriage rate among women from Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan exceeds that of men. It is meaning that women from these countries are more likely to marry in Russia. The vast majority of marriages with a foreign component — 96 % — are between foreigners and Russians. The remaining 4 % of marriages are those in which both the bride and groom are foreign citizens. Citizens of Central Asian countries if they marry someone other than a Russian, choose their compatriot in the vast majority. It should be noted that the practice of marriage in the country of emigration is not limited only to marriage migration. It is not uncommon for people who come to the country for employment, education, or other aims to find life partners and register relationships. However, we should not exclude the widespread adoption of a pragmatic approach to marriage, in which migrants consider to marriage as an opportunity to be legalized in the country of immigration in a simplified manner, faster and easier to obtain citizenship. Therefore, the development and implementation of state regulation measures in this area is particularly relevant.

The practice of child marriage: A profile and policy advocacy for Indonesian government

Child marriage is one of the more frequent social problems in developing countries, especially in Indonesia; the government is hardly concerned about this and relates it to population control. This has the potential to escalate into a serious problem that will symmetrically affect the economy if the number of child marriages continues to increase. This study aimed to apply a profile analysis approach to measure the significant difference and to understand the characteristics of child marriages in each Indonesian province. The country is divided into four regions based on the main development area over 4 years from 2016 to 2019. The findings from the parallel hypothetical test suggest that the child marriage profile from each region is not parallel, and each region has its unique characteristics. Therefore, appropriate policies should be introduced separately for each region, such as enhanced education quality, social assistance and protection programs for children, social participation models, and collaborative governance-based city/village programs. The most important conclusions: policy advocacy to reduce the practice of child marriage for governments everywhere, including Indonesia is carried out through good planning and implementation of child marriage prevention policies will increase children’s productivity for their future lives.

Early marriage among Syrian refugees in Jordan: exploring contested meanings through ethnography

Early marriage remains a central concern among reproductive and sexual rights advocates worldwide. Mainstream researchers have often focused on the negative effects of early marriage on young women, presenting them as powerless victims of social and cultural traditions. Yet the voices and perceptions of young women remain strongly absent in many studies on early marriage. Our study addresses this knowledge gap by utilising participatory and ethnographic methodologies to better understand what early marriage means to those who have experienced it and how these emic perspectives may diverge from humanitarian paradigms. Since the war began in 2011, Syrians have become one of the largest groups of refugees worldwide, with over 5.5 million individuals seeking asylum abroad. Humanitarian organisations have called attention to high rates of early marriage within this population and its unique drivers in the specific context of displacement. We draw upon data collected between 2018 and 2020 during 90 individual interviews and 14 participatory action research meetings to explore how Syrian refugee women conceptualise the practice of early marriage and its drivers after displacement. Our findings reveal that early marriage is perceived as a practice that benefits young women and is justified in terms of its beneficial effects. Participants described early marriage as a rational solution to present-day problems, many of which they associate with the unique context of displacement. Our findings echo prior qualitative studies that illustrate the complexity of attitudes towards early marriage and the importance of understanding the specific contexts in which it is practised.

Forced Marriage: Law and Practice in Pakistan

This research examines the reasons why and the circumstances in which Pakistani women began a common-law relationship against their will, and the role played by their families. A recent national survey shows that 4.1 per cent of indigenous women were obliged to marry and 4.8 percent were sold. This practice is conceptualized as an expression of both family and partner violence against women, but it is not often labelled and recognized as such. Forced marriage is associated with women’s transgression of traditional gender roles and rape, as well as traditions and practices that consider women’s opinions and consent as unnecessary. Forced marriages are less common now than they were in the past because of the greater awareness of women’s rights. But the practice persists. The link between non-consensual marriages and intimate partner violence is discussed, and public policy implications are presented. Forced marriage is frequently portrayed as an issue which only affects South Asian women and girls, however, this is not correct. Forced marriage affects a wide range of communities, including Irish Traveller, Turkish, Roma, Afghan, South Asian, Kurdish, Iranian, Arab and African communities. There are no religions which support or advocate the practice of forced marriage. Forced marriage can happen to anyone from any background, regardless of social class, financial status and sexuality, which include people who identify as lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and transgender, or are perceived as such. In a UK context, the needs and experiences of some affected groups are often less visible, and only specific groups are highlighted. It is important to be aware that forced marriage disproportionately impacts women and girls and is therefore recognized as a form of violence against women and girls. When a forced marriage occurs, several human rights are breached. Women’s experience of abuse often does not end with the pressure to marry. Many women are also subjected to different forms of abuse within the context of their marriage. This can range from emotional, psychological and financial abuse to sexual and physical violence.

A Coptic Magical Text for Virginity in Marriage: A Witness to “Celibate Marriage” from Christian Egypt

AbstractThe Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose (CA) owns a small but important collection of unpublished Coptic papyri and parchments. One notable papyrus preserves a unique text in which the practitioner invokes an unnamed female figure to help a woman protect her “purity,” “virginity,” and “marriage.” Although the specific context behind the text is not altogether clear and the appeal for virginity in marriage is curious and without parallel in other magical texts, one possibility is to see the text in light of the Christian practice of celibate marriage whereby a male and female entered into a non-sexual marriage.

A Study on Prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infections among Married Women in a Rural Area of Kanchipuram Tamilnadu

Introduction: Reproductive Tract Infection (RTI) is a major public and reproductive health threat globally. The burden of RTI deprives contribution of women in socioeconomic and cultural development. The aim is to determine the prevalence of RTI in married women and to spell out various associating factors of RTI.
 Methodology: A cross sectional study done in the rural area around Sree Balaji Medical College. Using purposive sampling, 365 women were selected as study participants. Data collection was done using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS software version25.
 Results: Among the 365 women, who participated in the study, the prevalence of RTI was 42%. Those reported more symptoms of RTI belonged to 16-25 (37.2%) years of age group. The commonest symptom reported by the women was abnormal vaginal discharge (16.4%), followed by lower abdominal pain (10.94%). The symptoms of reproductive tract infection were associated with age, age at marriage, education, socioeconomic status and menstrual hygiene practices.
 Conclusion: Proper management, health education reduces high prevalence of RTI. Women should have enough knowledge to seek proper medical care for infections which are curable and reduces the risk of developing further complications.

Брачная стратегия как элемент современной гендерной культуры

The article is devoted to a consideration one of the phenomenon gender culture modern citizens – the marriage strategies. This work is based on materials of semi-tructured interviews with young Perm’s families. The information received is 13 case-studies – detailed stories about a marriage choice, a marriage party and elements of family’s daily life. Using the theory gender study and case-study the author divided that materials into some groups of marriage strategies. Criteria of this operation were features of a respondent’s gender identifications. This paper considers a perversion marriage strategy. The type of strategy understood as a woman’s gender domination in matrimonial practices in further marital life. And then the author describes two cases illustrating it. A narrative is the form of the strategy’s presentation. This is a storytelling of major marriage practices of characters with their comments. The first narrative describes a «soft» variant of the perversion marriage strategy. An initiative of a woman combines with her performance a traditional «woman’s» role: she does housework and uses man’s material resources. The characters have contrast personality traits. They take turns setting the rules in the relationship and sometimes objectify each other. The second narrative shows a «hard» variant of the perversion marriage strategy. In this story man has a need for the approval of his actions and a woman has it too. Also, she has tendencies to dramatize. The woman plays a leading role in a relationship. She controls a man’s lifeworld and lets him take minor decisions. Both narratives reconstruct two versions perversion marriage strategy and show one of the potential model modern gender culture.

Unreal Houses: Character, Gender, and Genealogy in the by Edith Sarra

Reviewed by: Unreal Houses: Character, Gender, and Genealogy in the by Edith Sarra Elizabeth Oyler (bio) Unreal Houses: Character, Gender, and Genealogy in the Tale of Genji. By Edith Sarra. Harvard University Asia Center, Cambridge MA, 2020. xvi, 341 pages. $68.00. It is always remarkable when a study brings a truly fresh approach to a work as studied as Genji monogatari, but Edith Sarra's Unreal Houses: Character, Gender, and Genealogy in the Tale of Genji does just that. By exploring "how the Tale of Genji constructs and is constructed by storied houses" (p. 2), Sarra traces ways the narrative gives shape to and is shaped by the grand houses being built, rebuilt, and reimaged over the course of the work, as well as "the tale's contribution to the fabrication and critique of mid-Heian social and architectural space" (p. 2). Firmly grounded in Genji scholarship, Unreal Houses proposes a powerful interpretive framework for addressing the Genji and Heian narrative more broadly. Unreal Houses' nuanced and thoughtful interpretations of housebuilding and house-holding schemes in the Genji are addressed through the narrative trajectories of three characters, one from each of the Genji's three generations: Genji, Tamakazura, and Kaoru. Vital to this consideration are the marriage plot central to Heian-era fiction (and other writing); the range of possible plots and hero and heroine types that plot can engender; and the ways the Genji complicates these schemas. These topics, as well as Genji's mansions as metaphors for his erotic and political aspirations, long have been central to Genji studies. Unreal Houses, however, shifts attention to how mansions structure space and time (both seasonal and generational) and in so doing shape the narrative. Sarra explores how the aristocratic mansion—and particularly the Rokujōin—works "as a figure of semiotic complexity that is both conspicuous and self-reflexive. … It reconstrues relationships among the women it shelters, and to the extent that it prompts, inhibits, or enhances the doings of its occupants, it is presented as exerting [End Page 523] its own agency" (p. 93). In viewing the Genji through the lens of architectural agency, Sarra brings provocative close readings to individual characters, particularly the tale's heroines. She also proposes an interpretive framework that reveals how mansions, mirroring the narrative act itself, simultaneously contain and lay bare the often devastating stresses of polygynous marriage—the lingering ghosts of past generations, the anxiety of wives in unsteady relationships to each other, and the promise of children, actual or longed for. Unreal Houses is organized into an introduction, seven chapters, and an epilogue. The first of the seven chapters outlines the marriage practices and the architectural spaces in which men and women pursue erotic and procreative business. In addition to describing the variety of house-holding arrangements associated with mid-Heian period aristocratic marriage (in which duolocal, uxorilocal, virilocal, and neolocal possibilities existed simultaneously), Sarra draws attention to the contrasting situations of life in the rear palace, with its crowd of consorts and ladies in service to the emperor living side-by-side and in competition, and the experience of the housebound woman, waiting in her own home for a visit from her husband. Sarra notes both the unease engendered by these circumstances and the possibility for architectural substitution of one for the other: the rear palace occupied the same amount of space as well as the physical boundedness of an aristocratic mansion, leaving room for an ambitious hero to conceive of an architectural structure to contain something like both. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on just such ambition in the form of the central hero, Genji, and his series of house-building projects: the restoration of the Nijōin he inherited from his mother and the installation of Murasaki there; the expansion represented by the Nijō Tōin, built to house Hanachirusato and the Akashi Lady, ultimately unsuccessfully; and finally the Rokujōin, where he assembles the household of multiple wives and a combination of real and foster lineages he has, through persuasion of his women, willed into existence. These two chapters provide a nuanced reading of Genji's early sexual relationships and his youthful attempts at building a...

Early Marriage in Pakistan: So Little Done, but So Much to Do

Marriage is a human social institution which lays the foundation of a family as a unit of a society. It has been happening in human societies since the dawn of the creation but with varying degree of celebrations, customs and traditions, modes and manners etc. It is regarded as a moment of celebration and joys not only for the couple who are going to lock in weddings, but in many parts of the world, it is a moment of joy and celebration for the blood relatives as well as the entire community. Unfortunately, it does not happen always especially in the case of early marriage. In such case, it does not give such a cause of celebrations to the wedding couple rather it imposes on them without their consent or informed consent. The practice of early marriages has been in vogue from time immemorial, but all its negative impacts whether social, economic, physical or psychological, are realized since the late 20th century. This literature based article highlights the concept, practice, causes and consequences of the child marriages with special reference to Pakistani society. It was concluded that by increasing literacy rate among the people and through educating them, the issue of early marriages may be minimized/dealt.

The Challenge of Legal Marital Law Implementation in Local Context of Indonesia: A Case Study on Marriage Practice in Madura

Marriage serves many purposes for either men or women particularly muslim community. For muslims in rural area, for instance, marriage is an important phase of their life. It can be perceived as natural cycle of life by people. For many, it is also a need to preserve their existences in society. For individuals, marriage is a variously economic ticket, a socializing influence, a form of child care, a means of escape from social constrains and the locus of many other hopes and desires. What is interesting from the point of viewing marriage is the different purposes which marriage is expected to serve man and women in various angles. This article will outline the main issue of legal marital law implementation in local context in Madura which focuses two practices; local marriage procedure and early marriage practice that are mostly different from what have been regulated by the government.

Between Tradition and Evangelisation: Marriage Ritualisation on Colonial and Contemporary Bioko Island

The start of the 20th century on Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea) coincides with the expansion of Spanish colonisation. Around 1910, the intense process of “Hispanicisation” began, totally disrupting native Bubi society. The colonial government, together with the intense evangelisation carried out on the island by the Catholic Church, weakened and modified Bubi power structures. Colonialism also provoked important changes in Bubi family structure and the evangelising mission was, fundamentally, directed toward controlling and transforming marriage practices. This text analyses how the loss of the political function of the Bubi chieftainships affected marriage practices and examines the other variables that influenced these changes and their effects on the present-day situation of Bubi women. Finally, the text explains how the practices and values that the evangelisation managed to introduce influenced the construction of Bubi ethnic identity.

Review Article on A Fragmented Feminism: The Life and Letters of Anandibai Joshee By Meera Kosambi, Ram Ramaswamy, Madhavi Kolhatkar & Aban Mukherji

A Fragmented Feminism: The Life and Letters of Anandibai Joshee is the seminal work on social history about the first woman doctor of India, Anandibai Gopal Joshee written by the sociologist Meera Kosambi and Edited by Ram Ramaswamy, Madhavi Kolhatkar and Aban Mukherji. It provides insight into the psychosocial impacts of culture on Indian women through the life of Dr. Anandibai Gopal Joshee, India’s first women doctor. The author collected the letters written by Anandibai, newspaper reports on her, her poems in Marathi and rare photographs of her to craft the biography of her life. This book resembles an epistolary style in its narrative quality accompanied by annotations and explanations by the author and Editors. Anandibai, who was graduated in western medicine at America, lived during the nineteenth century pre-independence India where access to basic education was a distant dream. This book stands as a witness to practices of child marriage, physical and emotional abusement on women. (Kosambi, 19) ‘In childhood the mind is immature and the body undeveloped. And you know how I acted on these occasions. If I had left, you at that immature age, as you kept on suggesting, what would have happened? (And any number of girls have left their homes because of harassment from mothers-in-law and husbands). I did not do so because I was afraid that my ill-considered behaviour would tarnish my father’s honour… And I requested you not to spare me, but to kill me. In out society, for centuries there has been no legal barrier between husband and wives; and if it exists, it works against women! Such being the vase, I had no recourse but to allow you to hit me with chairs and bear it with equanimity. A Hindu woman has not right to utter a word or to advise her husband. On the contrary she has right to allow her husband to do what he wishes and to keep quiet.’

AKIBAT HUKUM DAN DAMPAK PSIKOLOGIS PERKAWINAN SIRI BAGI PEREMPUAN DAN ANAK-ANAKNYA

Marriage is the gate of life that is usually passed by mankind in carrying out life as husband and wife. That Allah SWT. create something with pairs, male and female, male and female animals, day and night, and so on. The practice of siri marriage is still a lot to this day. In fact, unregistered marriage has a very detrimental impact on women and their children. A siri marriage or what is known by various other terms such as 'married under the hands', 'kawin siri' or 'nikah siri', is a marriage that is carried out based on religious rules or customs and is not registered at the office of a marriage registrar (KUA for those who are Muslims, Civil Registry Office for non-Muslims). Even though it is legal according to religion, marriage under the hand has no legal protection. So that it has legal consequences both legally and positively in Indonesia and has a psychological impact on several parties, especially women / wives and their children.

Relasi Hukum Islam dan Adat dalam Tradisi Pamogih pada Perkawinan Masyarakat Muslim Bondowoso

This study aims to discusses pamogih tradition in Bondowoso Muslim community marriages. Pamogih tradition is basically similar to ben-giben, seserahan, pasrahan tukon, uang japuik, and others. In addition to the uniqueness of the term, this research also involves legal procession and consequences. This research uses qualitative methods and fieldwork clusters. The result shows that pamogih tradition is the bridegroom obligation to give handover as a form of tradition including necklaces, rings, clothes and other household furniture as agreed by both parties. The gift is considered to have a magical value for the people. Usually, this practice is carried out before and after the marriage covenant, generally the provision of goods is done after the marriage covenant. The pamogih tradition is carried out according to the rules of ponggebeh as an elder. The legal consequences of this tradition is, if the bridegroom violates or does not carry out this tradition, it is believed that they might have bad luck experience and slander as well as exclusion from the community. The pamogih tradition is part of living law as a social phenomenon that makes this tradition as an adat law and its implementation is integrated with the practice of marriage in Islam.

Impact of child marriage on nutritional status of women from suburban and urban areas of West Bengal

Background: Child marriage is a substantial barrier to social and economic development of a country and a primary concern for women’s health. In West Bengal, the practice of early marriage is still running especially in Muslim community. The present study was aimed to find out the impact of child marriage on nutritional status of mother in terms of BMI.Methods: 117 Muslim women from both North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal were studied. All of them were from economically lower middle class group. Height, weight, age, age at marriage, age at 1st child birth, number of children, family income and other information were recorded.Results: During the study, the average age of 117 Muslim women was 28.4±3.7 years with a range of 21-41. Average age was 18.0±1.9 years when the Muslim women got married. 83.6% women who got married in childhood were in underweight category of which 15.8% were in severe thinness category. But 86.9% women who got married after 18 year were in normal weight category. Only 5.3% women of this group were in underweight category.Conclusions: Thinness of the mother was might be due to marriage before 18 year. Thus from the above study it could be concluded that child marriage had a negative impact on mother’s nutritional status in terms of BMI.

Gender Discrimination on Child Marriage in Indonesia: A Quantitative Research Using Bootstrap Approach

The main objective of this study is to analyze gender discrimination in child marriage in Indonesia. The discrimination is based on early marriage, namely Indonesian youth aged 20-24 years who have been married before the age of 19 years. There are two main factors used, namely gender and age groups. The age group represents the age at first marriage for Indonesian youth who are categorized as early marriage, namely the group aged less than 15 years and aged in the group 16-18 years. This study applies a bootstrap approach to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) due to the failure of the initial assumption tests on the original data. The analysis results show there are significant differences between male and female youth in the percentage of child marriage cases. Gender inequality is indicated based on the finding that young women are found to be four times more vulnerable to being trapped in child marriage than boys. In addition, the results of the analysis also indicate that young women are easier to get trapped in child marriage practices for both age groups. Furthermore, the results of the analysis also indicate that young women are more prone to be involved in child marriage when they are in the 16-18 year group.

Kebebasan Perempuan dalam Memilih Calon Suami; Studi Perbandingan Antara Mazhab Syafi’i Dan Hanafi

The subject of this paper is how the freedom of women in choosing a potential husband. In general, ideas can be put forward in a society where the pattern of relationship is traditional, marriage is perceived as a social necessity which is part of the inherited social tradition. This study aims to find out how the views of the Shafi'i School and the Hanafi School of Women in choosing a husband. Whether choosing a husband candidate is a woman's absolute right or is there interference from parents. Where cases of matchmaking and the practice of forced marriage by parents of girls are still found in Indonesian society. Mazhab Syafi'i and the Hanafi School have different opinions about women's freedom to choose a husband. The Shafi'i school is of the opinion that a girl who is not yet an adult, in this case, according to him, he can marry the girl even without his permission. According to him, for a widow there must be clear consent from the person concerned. Meanwhile, according to the Hanafi School, the consent of a woman, either a widow or a girl, must be in the marriage and vice versa, if they refuse the marriage contract, it cannot be carried out

Contemporary Issues in Marriage Law and Practice in Qatar

Abstract This paper discusses changing marriage practices in modern-day Qatar, drawing on empirical data gathered in a sociolegal study involving interviews with individual citizens and residents about their marriage and family experiences, and with legal personnel and experts in family law. It presents a unique insight into evolving relationship behaviours occurring within and on the periphery of Qatar’s family-law framework in the context of its population make-up, historic traditions, trends in education, and globalisation. Changing practices examined include ‘late’ first marriages and ‘marrying out.’ The empirical research findings are used to analyse the link between the administrative process of obtaining permission to marry out and non-state-registered marriages, the gender imbalance in the treatment of those marrying out, and the link between child custody rights and unofficial marriages. The emerging narrative depicts couples navigating marriage laws and utilising non-state-registered ‘religious-only’ marriages as a temporary measure to overcome legal and administrative hindrances.