dc.description.abstract | This study investigated the causes of early marriage as well as the consequences of the
practice in Mombasa County with a focus on Mvita Sub-County. Specifically the study
sought to establish the causes of early marriage and describe its effects on girls in the Sub-
County. The study was guided by the radical feminist theory. Radical feminist beliefs are
based on the idea that the main causes of women’s oppression originates from social roles
and institutional structures that are constructed from male supremacy and patriarchy. Data
was collected through survey method, focus group discussions, key informant interviews
and secondary sources. The studied sample comprised of 100 married women aged 15 to
25 years who were married before the age of 18. The study revealed that early marriage in
Mvita Sub-County is rampant. The findings showed that the tradition of marrying girls at
an early age to protect them from engaging in improper behaviour is the leading cause of
early marriage in the Sub-County. Other causes of early marriage as revealed by the study
are poverty, religious obligation and societal pressure. The findings further revealed that
early marriage has negative effects on a girl’s health. The young girls face serious
complications during childbirth and are more at risk of death during childbirth since their
bodies are not fully developed. The findings also revealed that early marriage denies
children of school age their right to education. Based on the findings, recommendations
are made for advocating for dialogue at community level with local administration, women
groups and religious leaders around the issue of early marriage and coming up with
interventions. Such interventions should aim at addressing complex and negative sociocultural
norms and expanding access to primary, secondary school and tertiary education.
This can be achieved by offering financial incentives for disadvantaged girls to stay in
school, More importantly, further studies on early marriage and its consequences need to
be conducted all over the country and especially at the coast where the practice is common,
to document the magnitude of the problem. | en_US |