Year of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Major

International Studies

Directing Professor

Dr. Breske

Abstract

Child marriage is a crisis that continues to be practiced in many countries around the world. This is not to discredit the progress that organizations like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Girls Not Brides have made to aid countries in their process of eliminating child marriage. However, the commitment to completing the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ending child marriage by 2030 seems less achievable as we enter 2025. The question this thesis considers is why this goal is challenging to reach. While child marriage is prominent in developing nations, caused by high poverty rates, low education, and patriarchal traditions, there is less focus on developed nations that continue this practice. This thesis explores why child marriage continues to exist in India, China, and the United States and what prevents them from eliminating this practice. Despite their booming economies, concerning the U.S. and China, and rapidly growing economy, concerning India, the disparity between rural and urban economic growth indicates the sociological and cultural differences that make child marriage expected in some areas and rejected in others. Moreover, I examine the cultural and social factors within each of these countries to explain why child marriage continues to be practiced. Furthermore, I examine the foundational child marriage laws and whether the loopholes within those laws are addressed today in new proposed legislation. Finally, I correlate the government, and subsequently its politicians’ need for power in these case study states, with the advancement or hindrance towards eliminating child marriage.

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