These are questions that have been generated by the class for Asmeh from Pakistan who will visit the class on April 12th. A day of favorite music, love poetry and a discussion on women's rights and more. . . ..
Saturday, March 31, 2007
9. Latifa's sister is engaged/ married. What is the common age to get married in Afganistan? How important is the act of marriage?
Over 50% of girls ages 15-19 are married. Furthermore, girls as young as 9 can be forced to marry by their families. Marriage is extremely important in the culture of Afghanistan, and between 70 to 80% of women experience forced marriages.
The legal age in Afghanistan to get married is 18 for boys and 16 for girls but according to human rights groups, many girls are forced to marry at a younger age.
i think i asked this question- it seemed to me that marriage isnt as big of a deal for afghan people as opposed to people of other cultures. for example, other cultures have dowries and other things that make marriage like a rite of passage or like a bonding between families. seems like because of the previous rights that women had in afghanistan, Latifa and her sister talked a lot about finding love in a man instead of just having an arranged marriage.
It seems like marriage is of great importance to the parents since they are the ones who choose their child's spouse. This marriage arrangement is a tradition that is centuries old, as girls as young as 9 years old are forced to marry men as old as 60. I think the concept of marriage in Afghanistan is also different than it is in the U.S. Marriage in Afghanistan is not mutual and not out of love, as the young Afghanistan girls consider marriage to be a job working and cleaning for their husbands at home.
Many women marry at a very young age in Afghanistan (late teens or early 20's). Marriage is very important in their culture because you bring together two families rather than two people. Many families probably try to find a wealthy spouse for their son/daughter so that they can live a better life.
5 comments:
Over 50% of girls ages 15-19 are married. Furthermore, girls as young as 9 can be forced to marry by their families. Marriage is extremely important in the culture of Afghanistan, and between 70 to 80% of women experience forced marriages.
The legal age in Afghanistan to get married is 18 for boys and 16 for girls but according to human rights groups, many girls are forced to marry at a younger age.
i think i asked this question- it seemed to me that marriage isnt as big of a deal for afghan people as opposed to people of other cultures. for example, other cultures have dowries and other things that make marriage like a rite of passage or like a bonding between families. seems like because of the previous rights that women had in afghanistan, Latifa and her sister talked a lot about finding love in a man instead of just having an arranged marriage.
It seems like marriage is of great importance to the parents since they are the ones who choose their child's spouse. This marriage arrangement is a tradition that is centuries old, as girls as young as 9 years old are forced to marry men as old as 60. I think the concept of marriage in Afghanistan is also different than it is in the U.S. Marriage in Afghanistan is not mutual and not out of love, as the young Afghanistan girls consider marriage to be a job working and cleaning for their husbands at home.
Many women marry at a very young age in Afghanistan (late teens or early 20's).
Marriage is very important in their culture because you bring together two families rather than two people. Many families probably try to find a wealthy spouse for their son/daughter so that they can live a better life.
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