6533b824fe1ef96bd1281660
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Early marriage and cultural constructions of adulthood in two slums in Dar es Salaam.
Laura Starksubject
early marriageMalenaisetHealth (social science)Urban PopulationEconomicsavioliittoTanzaniaDevelopmental psychology0302 clinical medicineTransactional leadershipPregnancyPoverty AreasEthnography030212 general & internal medicineSociologyMarriageköyhyysyoung womenbiologyTansaniaMiddle AgedtytötHigh unemploymentFemale0305 other medical scienceAdultAdolescentIllegitimacySexual BehaviorTransactional sexEducationeducational opportunity03 medical and health sciencesYoung AdultSex FactorsDar es salaamDevelopment economicsPremarital sexta616HumansAged030505 public healthPovertyPublic Health Environmental and Occupational Healthkoulutusmahdollisuudetbiology.organism_classificationTanzaniaAttitudeikäkulttuuriset järjestelmättransactional sexdescription
This study examines under-18 marriage in urban Tanzania from an ethnographic perspective. Due to poverty and high unemployment, some girls aspire to early marriage. Two pathways to early marriage are identified: first, poverty and gendered economic disparities motivate girls to begin transactional sexual activity at an early age, leading parents to favour early marriage as a risk-reduction measure. Second, educational opportunities are often closed off to girls before marriage, as a result of which early marriage becomes the only culturally approved pathway that allows girls to present themselves to others as a self-sufficient agent. These pathways are reinforced by cultural and religious concepts surrounding the transition from childhood to adulthood. The study finds that, in urban Tanzania, two important factors associated with early marriage are the prevalence of premarital sex leading to out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and the relatively high cost of secondary schooling, which blocks educational opportunities for girls after the age of 15. peerReviewed
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-01 | Culture, healthsexuality |