Socio –Cultural Norms and Their Influence on the Practice of Child Marriage. A Case of Rushinga District (Zimbabwe).

ABSTRACT : The aim of the study was to explore how socio –cultural norms influence the practice of child marriage. A clear understanding of the problem of child marriage is essential to understand the proliferation of the practice in Rushinga District that stands at 50 percent. The theory used to explore the practice is the Social Norms Theory by Bicchaerri (2006). The premise of the theory looks closely at social cultural factors and how they influence the practice of child marriage thus, the practice is embedded in the social structures in the families and communities. For instance, the desirable age of marriage and conformity to practice of child marriage is rooted in community values and social expectations. The study used qualitative case study approach and the advantage is that the empirical inquiry of a phenomenon is done within its real-life context. Of critical importance to this study is that the case study method is particularly suitable for answering questions that start with how, who and why with regard to prevalence of child marriages in communities. The study reveals that child marriage practice is embedded in the social interactions and how communities deal with issues such as poverty. For instance, marriage entails bride price payment which becomes a livelihood option for a family in dire straits. Consequently, child brides‟ lives are entangled in abusive relationships embedded in the norms surrounding masculinity in families. The panaceas identified in the study end the practice of child marriage include the provision of educational opportunities for girls as well as advocacy and dialoguing with opinion leaders.

KEY TERMS: child marriage, norms, initiation ceremony.