The issue of child marriage is more economic and political than it is ethical. Child marriage adversely affects the young girls who are married off to older men. They become sexually active before they are ready. They even bear children before they are ready. Their families are well aware of these consequences yet they still support such practices . This is because the families exploit the girls for financial gain and other political agendas
This paper has been guided by two major theories: the feminist theory and Karl Marx's economic theory. Marx’s theory dismisses child marriage as a repressive and archaic arrangement whose time has already lapsed (Lilly et al., 2015). As a matter of fact, he teaches that marriage should be eradicated. According to his theory, wealth that is passed down the family line works to ensure the continuation of class divisions. Moreover, Ferber and Nelson (2009) explain that patriarchy, through forced child marriage, maintains women and children oppressions because they have less control over resources and they are hence less powerful. The patriarchy society perceives women as objects for production. In that sense, marrying off young girls is deemed appropriate, as they will be productive and industrious at their childhood (Lilly et al., 2015).
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Marx's theory goes further to explain that marriage under such circumstances is equal to economic exploitation. According to Lilly et al. (2015), f amilies often engage in such practices for both financial gain and other political agendas. An example is a girl who is married off to a wealthy family in exchange for a house . The authors cite that such situations are brought about by the financial inequalities that are present in the society. Ferber and Nelson (2009) explain that t he have - nots are the mercies of the haves as they get to comply with whatever demand in exchange for a living . According to the authors, t his is illustrated by Marx's economic theory where by young girls are equated with the under paid workers who fuel capitalism. The young girls enrich their families who seek to better their lives in an attempt to get to the same level as the wealthy capitalists ( Lilly et al., 2015).
The idea of communism instead of capitalism may assist the girl child to get a better life. She will be able to have a better life as she has prospects of pursuing her education to the highest possible level. Additionally, she will be in a better position to loft herself and her family out of economic bondage. However, Soisangwan, ( 2011 ) cites that this situation is not suitable for the wealthy. They would not subject their young girls for similar circumstances and that is why they prey on that the children of the poor. Additionally, the wealthy would like to keep operating around the law. According to Ferber and Nelson (2009), t his helps them remain in a position of lordship where they dominate those who allow it. This also allows male dominance as the male parent dominates the female parent. She has to live with the decisions that he makes over his daughters. The daughter leaves the dominant position under her father and moves on to the dominant position under her husband.
The feminist theory argues that patriarchy is the main source of child marriage in Thailand (Lilly et al. 2015). Proponents of this theory hold that in Thailand, men subordinate and exploit women due to patriarchy. According to Ferber and Nelson (2009), men are blamed for women exploitation because the society is already ruled and dominated by men, which makes them the ruling class while women are left to be the subject class. Soisangwan, ( 2011) further states that the theorists hold that, child marriage is tantamount to a socially designed method of rape and abduction. Forcing a child to marriage is a violation of basic rights such as security and education.
According to Ferber and Nelson (2009), t he feminist theory supports this theory by illustrating patriarchy. It also borrows a leaf from the economic theory of Karl Marx. It seeks to re examine the cultural or societal duties of women in society. Ferber and Nelson (2009) point out that t his is because if two reasons. The first is that women's rights are downplayed in the traditional familial setting. The woman has no say over her sexuality or other rights. She is subjected to conditions that would not be applied to a man. An example is housework which can be considered unpaid labor . Lilly et al. (2015) state that such inequality is one of the reason s why Marx opposed the family unit. The second is that oppression of t h e girl child and the woman is because of economic dependence. An independent woman would be able to save her daughter from the abuse of an underage marriage. Additionally, Soisangwan ( 2011) emphasizes that the working woman has the means to protect herself from exploitation because she does not need to depend on anyone. The political class shields those who carry out these practices because their careers are funded by them. They hide them behind manipulated laws such as the marriage provisions in Sharia law. The purpose is to ensure that the wealthy capitalists maintain their dominance in society while the political class gets to stay on top of the situation.
The main criticism advanced against the feminist theory is that it can make men to eventually lose out in terms of authority, economic opportunities, control, impact, influence and power. According to Ferber and Nelson (2009), the limitation of the feminist theory on child marriage is the exclusion of young boys. Ferber and Nelson (2009) further add that child marriage regarding boys it’s not a phenomenon comparable to girls but it is still happening. The authors point out that marxism has been rejected because it has been accused of transforming human nature by taking down the most element things names family, marriage and private property (Ferber & Nelson, 2009).
The two theories will be used to gain insights into the processes and incentives that motivate parents to marry off their young girls. They illustrate the chain of events that predispose child marriages. Economic and political good will put an end to this state of affairs. Eventually, they will help design strategies that can lead to more desirable outcomes.
References
Ferber, M. A., & Nelson, J. A. (2009). Beyond Economic Man: Feminist Theory and Economics .
Lilly, J., Cullen, Francis T, & Ball, Richard A. (2015). Criminological theory: Context and consequences (Sixth Ed.).
Soisangwan, P. (2011). Thai the knot: How to untangle the complexities of cross-cultural marriage . Hong Kong: Blacksmith Books.
