What Are the Effects of Early Marriage?
The effects of early marriage can vary depending on the age of the individual and the culture, but early marriage poses more problems than benefits for the partners involved. A forced early marriage arrangement neglects both human rights and individual choice. Individuals who are immature (at any age) are also unprepared for the complex, permanent union of marriage.
Child marriages are common in many cultures, and a child marriage can be an arranged affair or an informal partnership forged between two families. For some families, early marriages are beneficial by providing family honor and protection from marrying young girls in the household to wealthy husbands. Countless women in certain countries do not contest early marriage arrangements out of fear.
Marriages that are bound by love are satisfying, but allowing a child to marry early has consequences. Young girls who become child brides experience negative psychological effects as a result. People who wed young also face domestic violence and other types of abuse within a marriage, according to ChildInfo. Many laws throughout the world have banned child marriage and the sexual exploitation of children.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, around 60 percent of marriages involving couples between the ages of 20 to 25 will end in divorce. This staggering statistic indicates a clear correlation between maturity and the success of a marriage.