The Role of Temporary Marriage in Promoting Early Child Marriage in Iran

Kameel?Ahmady

Chapter

First Online:?07 February 2021

Abstract

This study aims to deepen understanding of the phenomenon of temporary marriage (TM) and its role in promoting early child marriage (ECM) in Iran. The research reveals that traditional families wish to control the sexual behavior of boys and girls and avoid the social pressure on them at mixed gatherings, by making them?mahram?(In Islam, a?mahram?is a member of one’s family with whom marriage would be considered?haram?(illegal in Islam); from whom?purdah, or concealment of the body with hijab, is not obligatory; and who may serve as a legal escort of a woman during journeys longer than three days) to one another through temporary marriage. It demonstrates that while temporary marriage has a role in legalizing illicit relationships, it also facilitates the ECM narrative in Iran. ECM, however, is not the only by-product of the temporary marriage but contributes to stigmatizing the younger generation in various ways. Moreover, religion is only one contributor to the popularity of temporary marriages, which is more about the control and power exerted by Iran’s patriarchal society and male-dominated culture over the most vulnerable segment of the population: the women.

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Ahmady K. (2021) The Role of Temporary Marriage (TM) in Promoting Early Child Marriage (ECM) in Iran. In: Hosseini S.B. (eds) Temporary and Child Marriages in Iran and Afghanistan. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4469-3_3

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