Abstract:

In this study it is aimed to understand differences and similarities of child marriages (early marriages) in terms of formation types considering the life experiences of women married at early ages before early marriage. It has been tried to be discovered the embedded information in the desicion-making process before early marriage in-depth by semi-structured face-to-face interviews with early married women and decision-makers (fathers). Therefore, the study was created and carried out in a qualitative design. In this study, a new classification has been found which reveals the differences and similarities regarding how child marriages are decided. This classification is grouped under two main headings; 'Non-Optional Early Marriages' and 'Optional Early Marriages'. Optional early marriages are marriages which generally occur at the request of early married women. It was understood that women in this group have regarded early marriage as a liberation or escape. Non-Optional early marriages have been conceptualized as marriages realised by force or persuasion through the influence of father or other members of family without women’s consent. In this study it was searched out that the forms of organization of early marriages are different from each other. Hence, it has been found that it is a need to develop different intervention strategies specific to types of early marriages in fighting with early marriages.

Keywords: