The Nexus Between Temporary Marriage and Early Child Marriage in Iran (original) (raw)
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A Look at the Phenomenon of Child Marriage in Iran and the World
International Journal of Pediatrics, 2016
The recent statistics indicates child marriage has been a global concern especially in low and medium countries, so that more than 700 million of women were married before 18 years of age and out of them more than a third were less than 15 years. There is gender inequality in child marriage, so that it is more observed in girls (1). Some causes are introduced for incidence of child marriage including poverty and financial debility, extension of social network, and protection of girls against rape and violence (2). The consequences of child marriage are often far wider than just their impact on the individual children affected. The marriage of children has negative effects on families and communities. The practice thrives on poverty and impacts adversely on a country’s health and educational sector (1-3). Indeed child marriage in girls resulted in early pregnancy, social isolation, school dropout, reducing employment opportunities and increasing of domestic violence (3). According to...
Springer, 2020
Abstract This study aims to deepen understanding of the phenomenon of temporary marriage (TM) and its role in promoting early child marriage (ECM) in Iran. The research reveals that traditional families wish to control the sexual behavior of boys and girls and avoid the social pressure on them at mixed gatherings, by making them mahram (In Islam, a mahram is a member of one’s family with whom marriage would be considered haram (illegal in Islam); from whom purdah, or concealment of the body with hijab, is not obligatory; and who may serve as a legal escort of a woman during journeys longer than three days) to one another through temporary marriage. It demonstrates that while temporary marriage has a role in legalizing illicit relationships, it also facilitates the ECM narrative in Iran. ECM, however, is not the only by-product of the temporary marriage but contributes to stigmatizing the younger generation in various ways. Moreover, religion is only one contributor to the popularity of temporary marriages, which is more about the control and power exerted by Iran’s patriarchal society and male-dominated culture over the most vulnerable segment of the population: the women. Keywords Temporary marriage #Sigheh #Child marriage #Iran #Culture #Religion
The Role of Temporary Marriage (TM) in Promoting Early Child Marriage (ECM) in Iran
Temporary and Child Marriages in Iran and Afghanistan, 2021
This study aims to deepen understanding of the phenomenon of temporary marriage (TM) and its role in promoting early child marriage (ECM) in Iran. The research reveals that traditional families wish to control the sexual behavior of boys and girls and avoid the social pressure on them at mixed gatherings, by making them mahram (In Islam, a mahram is a member of one's family with whom marriage would be considered haram (illegal in Islam); from whom purdah, or concealment of the body with hijab, is not obligatory; and who may serve as a legal escort of a woman during journeys longer than three days) to one another through temporary marriage. It demonstrates that while temporary marriage has a role in legalizing illicit relationships, it also facilitates the ECM narrative in Iran. ECM, however, is not the only by-product of the temporary marriage but contributes to stigmatizing the younger generation in various ways. Moreover, religion is only one contributor to the popularity of temporary marriages, which is more about the control and power exerted by Iran's patriarchal society and male-dominated culture over the most vulnerable segment of the population: the women. Keywords Temporary marriage • Sigheh • Child marriage • Iran • Culture • Religion The Phenomenon of Temporary Marriage Temporary marriage, often referred to in Arabic as nikah mut'ah (marriage in the Shia sect of Islam) short-term marriage or sigheh mahramiat, is an ancient practice (Badran et al. 2019). It allows Muslim men and women to be considered husband and wife for a limited and fixed period of time (Johnson 2013). After specifying a dower, the price the bride is paid by the groom or his family (Manzar 2008). Historically, nikah mut'ah was used to allow a man, when traveling long distances, to have a wife for a short period of time. In Arabic, the dictionary definition of nikah is marriage and K. Ahmady (B)
Early Marriage in Iran: A Pragmatic Approach
Journal of Human Rights Practice
The international human rights system has identified any marriage before the age of 18 as forced marriage or a harmful traditional practice which should be eradicated mainly through legal reform. In many legal systems, the minimum age of marriage is still below 18. In Iran, girls can marry at the age of 13 and boys at the age of 15. Thus, the issue of early marriage has been a point of struggle between the international human rights system and Iran. What is lost in these mainly legal debates is the reality of early marriage. Those who advocate for the eradication of early marriage present a singular perception of such marriage as forced and harmful, while those who oppose the international approach in Iran merely focus on the Islamic roots of the current legislation. In practice, marriage is a complicated social construct. To address early marriage, one should analyse different causes and contexts that influence this institution and determine whether the negative consequences apply ...
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2020
INTRODUCTION: One of the most thought-provoking problems in the world is child marriage that is affected by various factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the social determinants of child marriage in Kurdish regions of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis approach. The participants of the study were 30 Iranian-Kurdish women married under the age of 18 who were selected through purposeful and snowballing sampling. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and face-to-face interviews and continued until the saturation of concepts was achieved. Graneheim and Lundman method was used to analyze the data, and Guba and Lincoln criteria were used to strengthen the research. RESULTS: In general, findings include 5 categories and 17 subcategories: 1-economic factors (financial problems and economic benefits); 2-sociocultural factors (social customs, cultural beliefs, community encouragement, social learning, gaining prestige, and social support); 3-individual factors (physical characteristics, personality traits, lack of awareness of the damaging consequences of early marriage, and fear of the future); 4-family factors (dysfunctional family, weak awareness of parents, and harm prevention); and 5-structural factors (high demand, limited access to educational services, and the lack of supportive social and legal structures). CONCLUSION: By raising the level of awareness and attitude of girls and their families about the consequences of early marriage, creating the culture of correcting cultural beliefs and social misconceptions, passing appropriate laws, and the use of local and national media to prevent child marriage, this social harm can be reduced.
A House on Water - A Comprehensive Study on Sigheh Mahramiat and Temporary Marriage in Iran
Ayabuf publishing, 2021
Religious and customary norms define relations between men and women and their relationships in Iran, and the relationship of the couple is considered illegitimate and criminal except in the form of permanent and temporary marriage. Harsh economic conditions such as stagnation and unemployment on the one hand, and the emergence of modernity and normative-value changes on the other hand, have however led young people to live together without formal marriage. This ‘white marriage’ has changed Iranian society in recent years and now it is a rational solution to meet their personal and social needs, since they do not then have the legal and social responsibilities and economic burden of formal marriage. This phenomenon is more prevalent among educated and post graduate young people who have migrated to metropolitan areas for work and education. The Iranian authorities have not thoroughly studied this social phenomenon because of religious and cultural sensitivities. The information and data arising from the present study were collected using in-depth interview techniques (Grand Theory / GT). Factors examined included the changing life styles and views about marriage of young people, their right to choose their own futures and their right to bodily autonomy. In this first time study, problems and limitations of permanent marriage for women, the economic bottlenecks, the lack of proper employment and the avoidance of religion are the most important reasons which emerge from the research as facilitating the continuation of white or homosexual marriage. After a comprehensive review of the social and legal foundations of white marriage, this research analyses the affected factors and their implications. Strategies have also been proposed for effective steps to reduce the negative consequences of this social phenomenon, as well as raising public awareness about it. This book, like other recent reports by Kameel Ahmady, all linked by common themes, continues to develop previous research on the topics of temporary marriage. This research is published under the title Home with Open Door: research on white marriage in Iran. For the first time in Iran it will reveal the hidden and wide-angle aspects of this phenomenon at macro level, with an emphasis on the Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan metropolitan areas.
Reasons for early marriage of women in Zahedan, Iran: a qualitative study
BMC Women's Health, 2022
Background: Early marriage occurs in some regions of the world. Given that early marriage can have many negative consequences for girls by affecting their physical, mental, and social health, the purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons for early marriage from the perspective of women who had experienced it in Zahedan, Iran. Methods: This qualitative research was conducted based on the qualitative content analysis method in 2020-2021. The target population included women aged 18-35 living in Zahedan who were married under the age of 18 years. Purposeful sampling was used to select the participants. In order to collect data, in-depth interviews were performed to decipher the reasons for early marriage from these women's perspectives. A total of 36 interviews were conducted from October to December 2020 until reaching theoretical saturation. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data and extract the relevant concepts and categories. Results: The analysis of the interviews in this study revealed three main categories:(1) "early marriage as a transcendental coercion" (early marriage as a cultural heritage and early marriage as a control tool, girls' weaknesses and inability to resist, dominant attitudes toward gender and gender restrictions), (2) "early marriage as a solution or a kind of problem solving" (escape from undesirable family environment, escape from financial poverty, and strategic escape from an unpleasant situation), and (3) "early marriage as a voluntary act" (real agency and imaginary agency). To substantiate these findings, we presented excerpts from the interviews conducted with the participants. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest a multidimensional picture of early marriage. It seems that improving cultural conditions and empowering families and girls in various areas, including marriage, can reduce the rate of early marriage and/or at least mitigate its undesirable consequences.
Temporary Marriage: Attitude and Tendency in Iran
Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 2012
This study introduces temporary marriage (Siqa) and evaluates and investigates peoples' attitudes and tendencies toward it. Participants were 395 residents of Tehran. An attitude questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive results of the study showed that there was at least one case of temporary marriage in the families or relatives of the study population. Participants considered the following as the most important obstacles to temporary marriage in Iran: culture, family objections, logical objections, and permanent wife's objection. The comparison between the different groups showed that men, single people, employed people, and people with a history of temporary marriage in their family have a tendency toward temporary marriage. Although 25% of the study population was inclined to temporary marriage, its prevalence in society is about 9%. The main reason for its underdevelopment is the societal obstacles, expecially culture and family. KEYWORDS attitude, Iran, marriage, temporary marriage, tendency Family plays an important role in Islamic societies, and marriage is the core of it (Dhami & Sheikh, 2000). Permanent marriage as the foundation of family and the most important event in a person's life has always been recognized by the public and researchers. Marriage, along with all its preparatory and preliminary ceremonies, is one of the most important social, cultural,
Recent Trends of Marriage in Iran
The Open Family Studies Journal
Background: In Iran, historically, establishing, maintaining, and continuing family units have been perpetuated through the development of strong ideals about marriage and reproduction that are integrated with Islamic values. Despite the long tradition of marriage as the foundation of both family and society, the data show there are declines in both the rate and the number of marriages. The popular belief among both laymen and social scientists is that, while there has been a decline in permanent marriages, there has been an increase in the number of what can be called temporary marriages. There are no data demonstrating trends in these marriages. Methods: In this paper, we present data on the declining trend in marriage and review the literature on factors considered as a barrier toward marriage. In addition, we examine data from a snowball sample of couples involved in temporary marriages or Sighe. Results: Our analysis suggests that those in such marriages may generally ignore or...