Early marriages, autonomy and afterthoughts: Investigating marital age regret through the lens of consent among the Roma community in Türkiye

This thesis examines the phenomenon of child marriage within the Roma community in Turkey, with a particular focus on the concept of "marital age regret" and the role of autonomy in marital decision-making. This study employs data from the 2023 "Demographic Integration and Differentiation Levels and Policy Priorities of the Roma Population in Turkey (ROMA.AR)" survey to conduct a quantitative analysis of the demographic, marital, and socioeconomic factors associated with child marriage and their impact on retrospective feelings of regret concerning marital age. The research findings indicate that while a considerable proportion of Roma women marry as children, the level of agency involved in these decisions has a significant impact on their subsequent reflections on the timing of their marriage. The study employs a comprehensive theoretical framework integrating Social Contract Theory, the concept of informed consent, and ethnocentrism to contextualize these findings within the broader societal and cultural dynamics of the Roma community. The study's statistical analysis, including Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc tests, reveals that while forced marriages are associated with higher levels of regret, and self-decided and arranged marriages exhibit lesser degrees of regret, all demographic groups of women express regret regarding their marriage age if they experienced child marriage. The findings highlight the necessity for culturally sensitive approaches to addressing child marriage, underscoring the significance of promoting individual autonomy and informed decision-making. This research contributes to the academic discourse on child marriage and social issues within the Roma population in Türkiye, while providing crucial insights for policymakers aiming to reduce its prevalence and mitigate its long-term consequences.