There are many reasons why early marriage still continues.
Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning the practice.
Where poverty is acute, a young girl may be regarded as an economic burden and her marriage to an older man is a family survival strategy, and may even be seen as in her interest. In traditional societies in Sub-Saharan Africa, the bride's family may receive cattle from the groom, or the groom's family, as the brideprice for their daughter. Another important impetus for marrying girls at an early age is the prevention of premarital sex. Many societies prize virginity before marriage and this can manifest itself in a number of practices designed to 'protect' a girl from unsanctioned sexual activity. In some societies, the independent sense of self that a girl may develop during adolescence is seen as undesirable.