page_title: Child marriage
section_title: Politics and financial relationships
hierarchical_section_title: Child marriage / Causes of child marriage / Politics and financial relationships
caption_attribution_description: Mariage du Duc de Bourgogne, Louis de France (1682-1712).
context_page_description: Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between an adult and a child under a certain age, typically age eighteen. The child can be a girl or a boy, but the large majority of child marriages are between a girl and a man, and are rooted in gender inequality.
  Although the age of majority and marriageable age are usually designated at age 18, both vary across countries and therefore the marriageable age may be older or younger in a given country. Even where the age is set at 18 years, cultural traditions may override legislation and many jurisdictions permit earlier marriage with parental consent or in special circumstances, such as teenage pregnancy.
  Child marriage violates the rights of children and has widespread and long-term consequences for child brides and child grooms. For girls, in addition to mental health issues and a lack of access to education and career opportunities, this includes adverse health effects as a result of early pregnancy and childbirth.
context_section_description: Child marriages may depend upon socio-economic status. The aristocracy in some cultures, as in the European feudal era tended to use child marriage as a method to secure political ties. Families were able to cement political and/or financial ties by having their children marry. The betrothal is considered a binding contract upon the families and the children. The breaking of a betrothal can have serious consequences both for the families and for the betrothed individuals themselves.
caption: Child marriage in 1697 of Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, age 12 to Louis, heir apparent of France age 15. The marriage created a political alliance.
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