Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
BILIG, cilt.73, sa.73, ss.63-98, 2015 (SSCI)
This study discusses early marriage as a social problem in Turkey. The aim of the study was to present the role of traditional practices regarding early marriage using narratives of Turkish women who married under the age of 18. In this context, the importance of culture in the presence and maintenance of early marriage was sampled over Turkey. The research data was collected by in-depth interviews with eight Turkish women who married at an early age, lived in different regions (Eastern, Western and Central Anatolia), and came from different ethnic origins (Turk, Kurdish, Laz) and sects (Sunni and Alewi). In-depth interviews allowed us to obtain the history of the early marriage of the women who participated in the research; narrative analysis was used to analyze the narrative of women concerning early marriage. According to research results, the role of traditional practices in the presence and maintenance of early marriage is important. In a patriarchal system where traditional understanding is acceptable, women are prepared for the marriage by the cultural system, whether they are aware of it or not. Early marriage is fed on traditional practices such as protecting the honor of women, transferring the economical burden of a woman to others, and gaining prestige from marriage for the woman and the family.