DOCSLIB.ORG

Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, and Which Children Are at Greatest Risk?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, and Which Children Are at Greatest Risk? Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, And Which Children Are at Greatest Risk? CONTEXT: Marriage before the age of 18, commonly referred to as child marriage, is legal under varying conditions By Alissa Koski and across the United States. The prevalence of child marriage among recent cohorts is unknown. Jody Heymann METHODS: American Community Survey data for 2010–2014 were used to estimate the average national and state- level proportions of children who had ever been married. Prevalence was calculated by gender, race and ethnicity, and Alissa Koski is a postdoctoral scholar, birthplace, and the living arrangements of currently married children were examined. and Jody Heymann is dean, both at the Uni- RESULTS: Approximately 6.2 of every 1,000 children surveyed had ever been married. Prevalence varied from more versity of California, than 10 per 1,000 in West Virginia, Hawaii and North Dakota to less than four per 1,000 in Maine, Rhode Island and Los Angeles, Fielding Wyoming. It was higher among girls than among boys (6.8 vs. 5.7 per 1,000), and was lower among white non- School of Public Health. Hispanic children (5.0 per 1,000) than among almost every other racial or ethnic group studied; it was especially high among children of American Indian or Chinese descent (10.3 and 14.2, respectively). Immigrant children were more likely than U.S.-born children to have been married; prevalence among children from Mexico, Central America and the Middle East was 2–4 times that of children born in the United States. Only 20% of married children were living with their spouses; the majority of the rest were living with their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Child marriage occurs throughout the country. Research on the social forces that perpetuate child marriage is needed to inform eff orts to prevent it. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2018, 50(2): TK, doi:10.1363/psrh.12055 Marriage before the age of 18, commonly referred to as strictest laws currently in place prohibit marriage before child marriage, is widely considered a violation of human the age of 16 or 17, but some states do not have an explic- rights that threatens the health and well-being of chil- itly legislated minimum, below which marriage is prohib- dren around the globe.1 The United Nations Convention ited without exception.7 on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Girls who marry as children in the United States achieve Registration of Marriages, adopted in 1962, required that lower educational attainment than their peers who delay member countries establish a minimum age for marriage, marriage.8 Marrying as a child also increases the risk of liv- but did not provide specifi c guidance on what that age ing in poverty in adulthood, even more so than dropping should be.2 Nearly 20 years later, the Convention on the out of high school. A study based on data from the 1960, Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women 1970 and 1980 U.S. censuses found that marriage before reiterated that requirement and declared that the marriage the age of 16 increased the risk of poverty by 31 percent- of children “shall have no legal eff ect.”3 It was not until the age points, while dropping out of high school increased adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the risk by 11 points.9 Married girls are more likely to start 1989–1990 that the United Nations defi ned a child as any having children of their own as teenagers, and give birth person younger than 18.4,5 This defi nition has since been at shorter intervals, than women who marry later.10 They used to establish quantifi able targets for international devel- are at greater risk of experiencing mental health and sub- opment, including child marriage. The UN Sustainable stance abuse disorders later in life.8 Early marriages are Development Goals call for the elimination of child mar- also much less stable than those entered into at later ages. riage before the year 2030, and progress toward this goal Marriages involving girls and boys younger than 20 have a is measured by estimating the proportion of women aged lower probability than those involving any other age-group 20–24 who were married before age 18.6 of remaining intact after fi ve years; they are also reported to The marriage of minors remains legal throughout the be less satisfying.11,12 United States. All states ostensibly set the minimum age for Child marriage remains very common in some regions marriage at 18, but exceptions can be granted in every state of the world,13 and studies from low- and middle-income under various circumstances, most commonly parental countries have examined a wider range of outcomes. In consent and some measure of judicial approval. The earli- these settings, child marriage is associated with limited est age at which a child can legally be married varies. The access to contraception and more unwanted pregnancy, Volume 50, Number 2, June 2018 Child Marriage in the United States HIV infection, domestic violence and suicidal ideation.14–18 unaware of any quantitative studies that compare child These relationships have not been examined in high-income marriage rates among native-born and immigrant children settings. Some of the health-related consequences of child within the United States or other high-income countries. marriage may be similar, and others may diff er, in wealthier However, studies from Sweden and Canada have shown contexts, where public health infrastructure is stronger and that immigrants and their children marry earlier, on aver- health care is more accessible. For example, obstetric com- age, than native-born persons.27,28 plications are the leading cause of death among 15–19-year- In this study, we estimated the prevalence of child mar- old girls in low-income countries,19 largely because of poor riage within the United States as a whole and within each access to emergency obstetric care and underlying nutri- state. We measured diff erences in the prevalence of child tional defi ciencies. In contrast, the eff ect of maternal age on marriage by gender, race and ethnicity, and place of birth at the risk of adverse obstetric outcomes among older adoles- the national level, and examined the living arrangements of cents in high-income countries is debated.20 married children in the country. Although child marriage is legally permitted throughout the United States, its prevalence in recent years and which METHODS children are at greatest risk are unclear. Prevalence among Data younger cohorts, which would help to establish the extent The American Community Survey (ACS) is a household to which the practice continues in the United States, has survey conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau. not been examined. Some studies of early marriage in the Households from every county in the United States country have included youth aged 18 and 19 and those in are selected for participation on the basis of the Census their early 20s.21,22 Others have used nationally representa- Bureau’s master address fi le, which lists all known living tive survey samples that include respondents from broad age quarters in the country. Response to the survey is manda- ranges.8,23 These estimates are an average of the prevalence of tory. Selected households are contacted through the mail child marriage across several generations and may not accu- and may respond by completing a paper questionnaire or rately refl ect prevalence among younger people. For exam- via the Internet. Households that do not respond within ple, Le Strat and colleagues reported that 9% of women aged fi ve weeks receive a telephone call or in-person visit. Each 18 and older who responded to the 2001–2002 National annual sample is representative of the population of the Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions country as a whole and the population of each state. Full had married as children.8 However, the proportion rose from details of the survey design and sampling methods are 8% among 18–29-year-olds to 24% among 30–44-year-olds available from the Census Bureau.29 and 41% among 45–64-year-olds. Another study, based One person from each selected household, usually the on data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, owner or renter of the home, is asked to provide infor- found that the probability of marriage before age 18 was 6% mation on all of the individuals who usually reside there. among women and 2% for men, and that Hispanic women Each person’s gender, race and ethnicity, and relationship had a higher probability of having married as children than to the household head are documented. Birthplace is also non-Hispanic white or black women.23 recorded, along with the year any individual not born in The timing of marriage varies according to demographic the country arrived in the United States. The marital status characteristics, geographic region and other traits. Earlier of all persons aged 15 and older is also recorded, on the work has shown that Hispanic women, women from dis- basis of responses to the question “What is this person’s advantaged households, and women living in the Southern marital status?” Response categories are “now married,” United States are more likely than others to have married “widowed,” “divorced,” “separated” and “never married.” as children.24 Additionally, persons from Mormon and con- The respondent is also asked how many times each person servative Protestant traditions marry at younger ages than has been married and the year in which the most recent those from other religious backgrounds.22,25 However, cen- marriage took place.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Economic Origins of Cultural Norms: the Case of Animal Husbandry and Bastardy
    DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10969 Economic Origins of Cultural Norms: The Case of Animal Husbandry and Bastardy Christoph Eder Martin Halla AUGUST 2017 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES IZA DP No. 10969 Economic Origins of Cultural Norms: The Case of Animal Husbandry and Bastardy Christoph Eder University of Innsbruck Martin Halla University of Innsbruck, CD-Lab Aging, Health and the Labor Market, IZA and GÖG AUGUST 2017 Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world’s largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5–9 Phone: +49-228-3894-0 53113 Bonn, Germany Email: [email protected] www.iza.org IZA DP No. 10969 AUGUST 2017 ABSTRACT Economic Origins of Cultural Norms: The Case of Animal Husbandry and Bastardy* This paper explores the historical origins of the cultural norm regarding illegitimacy (formerly known as bastardy).
    [Show full text]
  • Shotgun Wedding by Tiffany Zehnal
    Shotgun Wedding by Tiffany Zehnal Writer's First Draft May 22, 2006 FADE IN: EXT. A SMALL TEXAS TOWN - EARLY MORNING The kind of town where people get by and then die. The morning sun has no choice but to come up over the horizon. A SQUIRREL... scurries across a telephone line... down a pole... over a "DON'T MESS WITH TEXASS" sticker... into an apartment complex parking lot... EXT. SHERWOOD FOREST APARTMENT COMPLEX ...and under a BLACK EXTENDED CAB PICK-UP TRUCK that faces out of its parking spot. It's filthy. As evident by the dirt graffiti: "F'ing Wash Me!" The driver's side mirror hangs by a metal thread. On the windshield, ONE DEAD GOLDFISH, eyes wide open... ...and in the back window, an EMPTY GUN RACK. INT. BATHROOM A box of AMMUNITION. A pair of female hands with a perfect FRENCH MANICURE loads bullets into a SHOTGUN. One by one. The only jewelry, a THIN, SILVER BAND on the middle finger of her left hand. INT. BEDROOM A clock radio -- the numbers flip from 5:59 to 6:00. COUNTRY MUSIC fills the room as a hand reaches over and HITS the snooze button. A millisecond of silence. An OFF-SCREEN SHOTGUN IS COCKED. The mound in the middle of the bed lifts his eye mask. This is WYATT, 34, handsome in a ruggedly casual never-washes-his- jeans way. He has a SMALL MOLE on his neck which, if you squint, looks like Texas. Wyatt’s all about maintaining the status quo. If he used words like status quo.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Marriages, Families, and Relationships Making Choices
    MARRIAGES, FAMILIES, AND RELATIONSHIPS MAKING CHOICES IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY 13TH EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK Mary Ann Lamanna | --- | --- | --- | 9781337109666 | --- | --- Families: Forms of Family Diversity While income averaging might still benefit a married couple with a stay-at-home spouse, such averaging would cause a married couple with roughly equal personal incomes to pay more total tax than they would as two single persons. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, pp. The European Convention and Relationships Making Choices in a Diverse Society 13th edition the Legal Status of Children Born out of Wedlock protects the rights of children born to unmarried parents. These "unclear families" do not fit the mould of the monogamous nuclear family. Polygynyor men having multiple wives at once, is one of the most common marital arrangements represented in the Hebrew Bible; [] another is that of concubinage pilegesh which was often arranged by a man and a woman who generally enjoyed the Families rights as a full legal wife other means of concubinage can be seen in Judges where mass marriage by abduction was practiced as a form of punishment on transgressors. Archived from the original on 9 November Narrative updates incorporate the latest scholarship. Family Life in the Age of Shakespeare. Man, New Series. The matrilineal Mosuo of China practice what they call "walking marriage". A civil unionalso referred to as a civil partnershipis a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Royal Anthropological Institute. This edition features Families new question-driven narrative, Families chapters devoted to the lives of ordinary people that make the past real and relevant, and the best and latest scholarship throughout.
    [Show full text]
  • Marriage Annulment - the Need for Legislation
    University of Miami Law Review Volume 24 Number 1 Article 7 10-1-1969 Marriage Annulment - The Need for Legislation Beverly A. Rowan Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/umlr Recommended Citation Beverly A. Rowan, Marriage Annulment - The Need for Legislation, 24 U. Miami L. Rev. 112 (1969) Available at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/umlr/vol24/iss1/7 This Comment is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Miami Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MARRIAGE ANNULMENT-THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION BEVERLY A. ROWAN* I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 112 II. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ACTION .......................................... 114 III. THE FLORIDA POSITION .................................................. 114 IV. THE VOID-VOIDABLE DISTINCTION .......................................... 116 V . GROUNDS ................................................................ 118 A . Incest ............................................................... 118 B . Bigamy ............................................................. 119 C . Im potency .......................................................... 120 D. M ental Incompetency ................................................ 121 E. Intoxication or Influence of Drugs ...................................
    [Show full text]
  • Japan's Evolving Family
    Japan’s Evolving Family: Voices from Young Urban Adults Navigating Change Navigating Adults Urban Young from Voices Family: Evolving Japan’s Japan’s Evolving Family Voices from Young Urban Adults Navigating Change GLENDA S. ROBERTS I would like to meet a beautiful woman whom I could marry. I would also like a raise. A man’s petition to the divine, left at Jindai Temple, Tokyo Roberts East-West Center East-West Japan’s Evolving Family: Voices from Young Urban Adults Navigating Change GLENDA S. ROBERTS The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the US Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options. The Center’s 21-acre Honolulu campus, adjacent to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is located midway between Asia and the US mainland and features research, residential, and international conference facilities. The Center’s Washington, DC, office focuses on preparing the United States for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence. EastWestCenter.org Print copies are available from Amazon.com. Single copies of most titles can be downloaded from the East-West Center website, at EastWestCenter.org. For information, please contact: Publications Office East-West Center 1601 East-West Road Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96848-1601 Tel: 808.944.7145 Fax: 808.944.7376 [email protected] EastWestCenter.org/Publications ISBN 978-0-86638-274-8 (print) and 978-0-86638-275-5 (electronic) © 2016 East-West Center Japan’s Evolving Family: Voices from Young Urban Adults Navigating Change Glenda S.
    [Show full text]
  • Ending Child Marriage in a Generation What Research Is Needed?
    Ending Child Marriage in a Generation What Research is Needed? BY MARGARET E. GREENE, PHD Ending Child Marriage in a Generation What Research is Needed? BY MARGARET E. GREENE, PHD January 2014 Contact the author at [email protected] or at www.greeneworks.org Cover: A pregnant 15-year-old with her older husband, who is a migrant worker in Mumbai, India, meet with The Veerni Project. They were wed when she was ten in his village near Jodhpur. ©2006 Rose Reis, Courtesy of Photoshare The Problem of Child Marriage for Girls and for Development Two interrelated reasons form the central rationales for working to end the practice of child marriage: upholding the rights of girls, and achieving health and development goals. Girls’ rights, health and development are undermined by the impact of early marriage, pregnancy and childbearing on their mortality and morbidity, the early termination of their schooling, and the ripples of girls’ poor health and limited human capital on their future productivity and the lives of their children, families and their nations. In the absence of valid consent – which ‘children’ by definition are not able to give – child mar- riage may be understood as a coerced act that violates the human rights of 14.2 million girls who marry as children each year.3 Once girls are married, their status infringes upon a range of their rights. Most child brides are burdened with responsibilities as wives and mothers with little support, resources, or life experience to meet these challenges. Compared to their unmarried peers or to older women, girls who marry before the age of 18 are likely to have lower educational attainment, greater chances of experiencing unwanted pregnancies, and are at greater risk of sexual and reproductive health morbidities and maternal mortali- ty.4 They go into marriage at a disadvantage with regard to their husbands, who tend to be older and to have more experience of school, work and often, previous relationships.
    [Show full text]
  • A Shotgun Wedding Customer Taster
    A Sh tgun Wedding A Murder Mystery by Andrew Hull Customer Taster, Extracted from the main pack A Sh tgun Wedding A Murder Mystery Copyright 2013 by Andrew Hull This afternoon, millionaire businessman John Davenport, married his fiancée, Juliet Lightfoot, following a whirlwind romance. The reception is shortly to take place at the Great Bantworthy Golf Club. Family, friends and colleagues have gathered to celebrate the happy occasion, but not everyone wishes John well… COPYRIGHT REGULATIONS This murder mystery is protected under the Copyright laws of the British Commonwealth of Nations and all countries of the Universal Copyright Conventions. All rights, including Stage, Motion Picture, Video, Radio, Television, Public Reading, and Translations into Foreign Languages, are strictly reserved. No part of this publication may lawfully be transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, manuscript, typescript, recording, including video, or otherwise, without prior consent of Lazy Bee Scripts. A licence, obtainable only from Lazy Bee Scripts, must be acquired for every public or private performance of a script published by Lazy Bee Scripts and the appropriate royalty paid. If extra performances are arranged after a licence has already been issued, it is essential that Lazy Bee Scripts are informed immediately and the appropriate royalty paid, whereupon an amended licence will be issued. The availability of this script does not imply that it is automatically available for private or public performance, and Lazy Bee Scripts reserve the right to refuse to issue a licence to perform, for whatever reason. Therefore a licence should always be obtained before any rehearsals start.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the Male Marriage Premium Due to Selection? the Effect of Shotgun Weddings on the Return to Marriage
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Ginther, Donna; Zavodny, Madeline Working Paper Is the male marriage premium due to selection? The effect of shotgun weddings on the return to marriage Working Paper, No. 97-5a Provided in Cooperation with: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Suggested Citation: Ginther, Donna; Zavodny, Madeline (1998) : Is the male marriage premium due to selection? The effect of shotgun weddings on the return to marriage, Working Paper, No. 97-5a, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/100753 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die
    [Show full text]
  • Gentle Romances, 2014
    ISBN 978-0-8444-9569-9 Gentle 2014 Romances National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Washington 2014 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Gentle romances, 2014. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-8444-9569-9 1. Blind--Books and reading--Bibliography--Catalogs. 2. Talking books-- Bibliography--Catalogs. 3. Braille books--Bibliography--Catalogs. 4. Love stories-- Bibliography--Catalogs. 5. Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped--Catalogs. I. Title. Z5347.L533 2014 [HV1721] 016.823’08508--dc23 2014037860 Contents Introduction .......................................... iii pense, or paranormal events may be present, Audio ..................................................... 1 but the focus is on the relationship. Dull, Braille .................................................... 41 everyday problems tend to be glossed over Index ...................................................... 53 and, although danger may be imminent, the Audio by author .................................. 53 environment is safe for the main characters. Audio by title ...................................... 61 Much of modern fiction—romances in- Braille by author ................................. 71 cluded—contains strong language and Braille by title ..................................... 73 descriptions of sex and violence. But not Order Forms ........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Early Marriage in Taiwan: Evidence from Panel Data
    JFIXXX10.1177/0192513X19863211Journal of Family IssuesTai et al. 863211research-article2019 Article Journal of Family Issues 2019, Vol. 40(14) 1989 –2014 Early Marriage in © The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: Taiwan: Evidence sagepub.com/journals-permissions https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X19863211DOI: 10.1177/0192513X19863211 From Panel Data journals.sagepub.com/home/jfi Tsui-o Tai1, Chin-Chun Yi2, and Chia-Hua Liu3 Abstract Using data from the TYP (Taiwan Youth Project) panel survey, we examine factors associated with early marriages in Taiwan and the subsequent risks for negative outcomes in family life and career trajectories. About 7% of Taiwanese people marry early, that is, before the age of 28 years. Among those who marry early, more than 60% report the birth of a child within the first 8 months of marriage (i.e., they form postconception “shotgun” marriages). Compared with the never married respondents, individuals in both preconception and postconception early marriages are likely to come from families of low socioeconomic status. Nonworking young adults and those experiencing parental divorce or parental death during adolescence are at higher risk of entering postconception marriages than those remaining single. Particularly for nonemployed young people and those from lower socioeconomic status background, early marriage means taking on adult responsibilities in a disadvantaged state. Keywords early marriage, postconception, preconception 1National Taipei University, New Taipei City 2Academia Sinica, Taipei 3Tamkang University, New Taipei City Corresponding Author: Chin-Chun Yi, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, 128, Section 2 Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 11529. Email: [email protected] 1990 Journal of Family Issues 40(14) The widespread second demographic transition that features delayed first marriage, declining fertility, rising marital dissolution, and nonmarital births seems to obscure the future of family.
    [Show full text]
  • Crown Him Week 3 “Shotgun Wedding” November 22, 2020 Frank Burns Mdiv Remnant Church of Sarasota
    Crown Him Week 3 “Shotgun Wedding” November 22, 2020 Frank Burns MDiv Remnant Church of Sarasota Shotgun Wedding I really love weddings. PHOTO 1 It never really dawned on me when I became a pastor that I would be invited to participate in them. They really are wonderful moments if they are centered on Christ. I only perform weddings between two believers who I know are fully committed to Christ. I love that God came up with the idea of the Covenant of Marriage and used that image to describe our salvation. There is something holy about two people, a man and woman, locking eyes and declaring their love for each other and then together their love for Jesus. They tell each other, I could have chosen anyone, but I choose you because God has chosen us. It is really a beautiful thing. Unless.... Well in Texas we have these things called Shotgun Weddings. PHOTO 2 They are not about free will, they are about survival. Usually the Father of the Bride is the one packing heat and the Groom to be is the one feeling it and sweating. The marriage vows are not really beautiful at all because everyone knows that boy had no choice. The audience knows it, the Father of the Bride knows it, the Groom knows it....and most sadly...the Bride knows it. Declaration of Love made under duress, without free will, is not love at all. Throughout scripture, Jesus is illustrated for us as a Bridegroom coming for His Bride. This is no accident or coincidence.
    [Show full text]
  • Bringing Back the Shotgun Wedding
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Departmental Papers (Sociology) Penn Sociology 1988 Bringing Back the Shotgun Wedding Frank F. Furstenberg University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/sociology_papers Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons Recommended Citation Furstenberg, Frank. 1988. "Bringing Back the Shotgun Wedding." The Public Interest 90 121-127. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/sociology_papers/12 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Bringing Back the Shotgun Wedding Disciplines Family, Life Course, and Society | Sociology This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/sociology_papers/12 CONTR 0 VERS Y BringingBack the Shotgun Wedding FRANK F. FURSTENBERG, JR. ACKthoughtIN THthatE lateteenage1950s,parenthoodat the peakwasoaf problemthe baby inboothim,s eounnotry.one To be sure, lots of adoleseents had babies--even more than do today-- but almost all were married before or shortly after the pregnancy oe- eurred. As some family sociologists observed at the time, pregnancy was often part of the eourtship proeess, propelling many young eou- ples into marriage at an aeeelerated paee. Women risked their reputa- tions when they eonsented to have sex. If they were unlueky enough to get pregnant, their boyfriends were expeeted to do the honorable thing--whieh they usually did, whether willingly or reluetantly. As many as half of all teenage brides in the late 1950s were preg- nant when they took their wedding vows. Sinee nearly half of all women were married by twenty, almost one woman in four started her family as a pregnant teenager.
    [Show full text]