ROMA WOMEN’S VIEWS ON FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PROCESS OF CHILD MARRIAGE: A Qualitative Study in Bulgaria
Aleksandrova, Marjo (2019)
Aleksandrova, Marjo
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112522212
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019112522212
Tiivistelmä
Child marriage is a global issue of human rights, gender equality and health. For example, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals target to eliminate the practice of child marriages by 2030 in order to improve maternal health, reduce child mortality and promote gender equality.
Child marriages are one factor in the vulnerability of Eastern European Roma women. In the European Union, more than a quarter of girls with Roma identity are legally or traditionally married before the age of 18. Child marriages are most common among girls with less education and it has also been found that child marriages affect the schooling of Roma girls, thus creatings a vicious cycle. Among the Roma, child marriages are a strong factor in group identity and a mechanism to prevent assimilation. The virginity of the bride is highly valued, as is the need to preserve it until marriage, which has commonly led to restrictions on movement and marrying daughters as a child.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of Bulgarian Roma women who were married as minors. The study aims at investigating which factors these women experienced as influencing the process of child marriage, as well as examine whom they believe to be involved in this process and what their role in that process is. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview guide at three locations in Bulgaria. The research group consisted of 13 Bulgarian women with Roma identity. Data analysis was conducted by performing inductive content analysis.
The findings indicate that according to Roma women’s lived experiences there are factors, dynamics and people as components of the marriage process that influence conflict between traditional values and the demands of modern society, thus increasing the risk of child marriages. Childhood social stressors and family dynamics lay the foundation for future marriage decisions. When the trigger happens, girls tend make marriage decisions independently, initiated and encouraged by the boys. Marriage usually occurs by eloping, after which the parents have no choice but to accept the matter, and the negotiation phase begins and ends with the announcement of marriage in the community. These findings imply that the decision-making process of child marriages among Bulgarian Roma is changing. Where families and, especially fathers, negotiated marriage in the past, girls' own autonomy now plays a large part. The actions of the non-couple partakers during the initiation seem to be irrelevant. The role of parents has diminished as their role is mostly limited to accepting and arranging things in the best possible way when the marriage is already irrevocable.
Child marriages are one factor in the vulnerability of Eastern European Roma women. In the European Union, more than a quarter of girls with Roma identity are legally or traditionally married before the age of 18. Child marriages are most common among girls with less education and it has also been found that child marriages affect the schooling of Roma girls, thus creatings a vicious cycle. Among the Roma, child marriages are a strong factor in group identity and a mechanism to prevent assimilation. The virginity of the bride is highly valued, as is the need to preserve it until marriage, which has commonly led to restrictions on movement and marrying daughters as a child.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of Bulgarian Roma women who were married as minors. The study aims at investigating which factors these women experienced as influencing the process of child marriage, as well as examine whom they believe to be involved in this process and what their role in that process is. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview guide at three locations in Bulgaria. The research group consisted of 13 Bulgarian women with Roma identity. Data analysis was conducted by performing inductive content analysis.
The findings indicate that according to Roma women’s lived experiences there are factors, dynamics and people as components of the marriage process that influence conflict between traditional values and the demands of modern society, thus increasing the risk of child marriages. Childhood social stressors and family dynamics lay the foundation for future marriage decisions. When the trigger happens, girls tend make marriage decisions independently, initiated and encouraged by the boys. Marriage usually occurs by eloping, after which the parents have no choice but to accept the matter, and the negotiation phase begins and ends with the announcement of marriage in the community. These findings imply that the decision-making process of child marriages among Bulgarian Roma is changing. Where families and, especially fathers, negotiated marriage in the past, girls' own autonomy now plays a large part. The actions of the non-couple partakers during the initiation seem to be irrelevant. The role of parents has diminished as their role is mostly limited to accepting and arranging things in the best possible way when the marriage is already irrevocable.