ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the main arguments about compulsory marriage. Age at marriage, education, and above all the world of work are the most critical forces shaping women’s life chances in relation to this compulsory institution. Although some of the paradoxes in the sphere of women’s work have been on the agendas of feminists and development economists, they have not been related to compulsory marriage, especially for those who marry too young. This chapter also offers a critique of social norms and reframes notions of adolescent “agency” in relation to questions of compulsory marriage.
