Early marriages in the context of socio-cultural factors

In this research, it is aimed to understand the socio-cultural reasons of early marriage of women and men living in Ankara, Adana and Mersin, socio-cultural reasons of early marriage, who are the decision makers of marriage, problems in marriage and how to cope with these problems and understanding of perceptions of femininity-masculinity. Individuals were questioned about the concepts of "love" and "marriage" before and after marriage and tried to make sense of the marriage process they lived. Besides, information about early marriages related to both their parents and their children has been reached and early marriage has been tried to be evaluated in a generation-to-generation process. The research was dealt with by a phenomonological qualitative method. In this context, in-depth interviews were conducted and with the interviews, participatory observation techniques were used in the research. In the research aimed for understanding what social and cultural elements play a role in the realization of early marriage, although in many cases they have occurred outside the will of the individual, early marriages have been accepted and continued. Rarely, the marriage has come to a divorce. The problems in early marriages are mostly due to the large number of households and the incompatibility between individuals; in the solution of these problems, it has been determined that they are resorted to making sacrifices, accepting fate and separating the houses. Key Words Early Marriage, Child Bride, Child Groom, Gender, Culture