Faculty of Economics & Administration, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
Department of Development Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
J Biosoc Sci. 2021 Nov;53(6):948-967. doi: 10.1017/S0021932020000644. Epub 2020 Nov 16.
This study examined the nature and correlates of child marriage in eight villages in climate-affected coastal Bangladesh using a mixed-methods approach: focus group discussions and in-depth qualitative interviews of female victims of child marriage as well as quantitative data collected using structured interviews of households. More than two-thirds of the qualitative survey respondents had encountered at least one event of natural disaster before marriage. Quantitative data confirmed significantly higher exposure to flood and river erosion among the coastal population. The quantitative data also suggested a positive association between shocks related to climate events and the incidence of child marriage, while the qualitative data indicated multiple themes related to the causes of child marriage, such as economic vulnerability, coping with risk and patriarchal norms. Yet the qualitative study respondents did not directly refer to natural disasters and climate changes when narrating their marital histories. The qualitative and quantitative evidence does not suggest that dowry-related factors are leading to early marriage. Rather, child marriage appears to be a coping strategy adopted by households in response to their increased vulnerability to natural disasters.
本研究采用混合方法，在孟加拉国受气候影响的沿海地区的八个村庄中，调查了童婚的性质和相关因素：对童婚女性受害者进行焦点小组讨论和深入的定性访谈，以及使用结构化访谈收集家庭的定量数据。超过三分之二的定性调查受访者在结婚前至少经历过一次自然灾害事件。定量数据证实，沿海地区人口遭受洪水和河流侵蚀的风险显著更高。定量数据还表明，与气候事件相关的冲击与童婚发生率之间存在正相关关系，而定性数据则表明了与童婚原因相关的多个主题，例如经济脆弱性、应对风险和父权制规范。然而，在叙述他们的婚姻史时，定性研究的受访者并没有直接提到自然灾害和气候变化。定性和定量证据都表明，与嫁妆有关的因素并不是导致早婚的原因。相反，童婚似乎是家庭为应对自然灾害导致的脆弱性增加而采取的一种应对策略。
