Explaining the links between child marriage and intimate partner violence: Evidence from Ghana

This study examined the relationship between child marriage and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ghana, looking specifically for possible mechanisms driving the relationship.

Nationally representative cross-sectional data were collected from 2289 ever-married Ghanaian women and analysed using random-effects regression techniques.

Women who married as children differed significantly from those who did not in their socio-economic characteristics, attitudes to societal gender norms and autonomy. Compared to those who married as adults, women who married as children had lower levels of education, were more likely to endorse patriarchal gender norms and had lower levels of autonomy within the household. Results also showed significant relationships between child marriage and three dimensions of IPV (physical, sexual and emotional). However, for physical and sexual violence, this relationship was completely mediated by differences in the socio-economic characteristics of the women, their attitude to gender norms and their autonomy within the household.

Researchers must pay attention to these intermediary factors when theorizing the relationship between child marriage and IPV. Policy makers in Ghana must ensure that young girls receive formal education and have the self-efficacy and skills to reject patriarchal gendered norms that threaten their security and well-being.