A comparative study of child marriage and parenthood in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Zambia
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
The aim of this project is to enhance the understanding of the complexities of child marriage and parenthood to inform policies and programming.Read more
The aim of this project is to enhance the understanding of the complexities of child marriage and parenthood to inform policies and programming. The project will generate new evidence of international relevance, and by taking a comparative approach, it will contribute to breaking the intergenerational cycles of poverty and gender inequality. Studies to date have emphasized the drivers and immediate consequences for mothers and their infants. By taking an approach that emphasizes life course poverty and gender inequality, this project will help uncover how interventions in health, education, violence, and livelihoods need to be adapted to meet the needs of adolescent parents or children who are married, in order to have a positive effect on girls’ and boys’ trajectories.
The overall research will be led by Young Lives (University of Oxford). The research will be undertaken in collaboration with Child Frontiers (Zambia) and Grupo de Analisis para el Desarollo – GRADE (Peru). A socio-ecological life course perspective will guide the research, which will use mixed methods, including quantitative as well as participatory approaches. It will also use a relational approach to gender and generation, examining the relationships, power structures, and norms and practices that influence adolescents’ and young people’s transitions, not only in terms of motherhood and marriage but also with respect to boys, marriage, fatherhood, and the formation of new households. To ensure uptake, an innovative engagement plan will be developed that involves key stakeholders from the outset, especially those drafting policies related to Sustainable Development Goal #5, Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.