First published 2014
Across the globe, millions of girls become wives before reaching eighteen. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon examines this widespread practice that cuts short education and economic opportunity for one-third of the world's female population. She reveals how child marriage undermines both individual potential and broader economic stability. Lemmon identifies the root causes that drive families to marry off young daughters and analyzes intervention strategies that have shown real results. Despite the scale and urgency of this crisis, reliable data remains scarce. The author fills critical knowledge gaps while demonstrating how early marriage perpetuates cycles of poverty and limits development. This book provides policymakers, advocates, and concerned readers with concrete evidence about what works in preventing child marriage and protecting girls' futures.
Genres: social-issues, non-fiction, activism
Vibes: informative, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: advocacy, social-justice
Setting: Global
Period: 21st-Century
58 pages · Paperback · Council on Foreign Relations Press
Content warnings: child-abuse