Sociocultural factors perpetuating the practices of early marriage and childbirth in Sylhet District, Bangladesh

Background The practice of adolescent marriage continues in communities throughout Bangladesh, with adolescent childbearing a common result. This early childbearing is associated with increased medical risks for both mothers and their newborns. Methods Because of the need to understand the persisten...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International health 2015-05, Vol.7 (3), p.212-217
Main Authors: Henry, Elizabeth G., Lehnertz, Nicholas B., Alam, Ashraful, Ali, Nabeel Ashraf, Williams, Emma K., Rahman, Syed Moshfiqur, Ahmed, Salahuddin, El Arifeen, Shams, Baqui, Abdullah H., Winch, Peter J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Bangladesh
Contraception
Contraception Behavior
Culture
Decision Making
Family
Family Characteristics
Family Planning Services
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Infant
Infertility
Male
Marriage
Pregnancy
Social Stigma
Young Adult
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Summary:Background The practice of adolescent marriage continues in communities throughout Bangladesh, with adolescent childbearing a common result. This early childbearing is associated with increased medical risks for both mothers and their newborns. Methods Because of the need to understand the persistence of these behaviors in spite of the risks, various qualitative research methods were used to identify and better understand the various socio cultural factors perpetuating the practices of early marriage and childbirth. Results Delaying the first birth after marriage can cause rumors of infertility, bring shame on the family, and in some cases lead the husband's family to seek another wife for their son. In addition, social stigma for childless women, emigration of husbands, and the belief that using modern contraceptives prior to the birth of the first child results in infertility also inhibits couples from delaying their first pregnancy. Discussion and Conclusions Future efforts to promote delay in marriage and subsequent early childbearing should focus on allaying the fears of infertility related to delay in childbearing or secondary to contraceptive use, both for newly married couples and household decision-makers such as mothers-in-law.
ISSN:1876-3413
1876-3405
DOI:10.1093/inthealth/ihu074