IMPACTS OF EARLY MARRIAGE VARIABLES AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN SELECTED KEBELES, MIESSO DISTRICT, WEST HARARRGHE ZONE, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPI

Abstract

The study examined Impacts of early marriage variables among married women in Miesso District, West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Region Ethiopia. The study was limited to married women from three remote-conflicted rural kebels namely Kurasawa, Burimulu and Itisa Roro and from a town- Miesso town. Cross-sectional design was considered. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. A total of 321married women (179 from rural and 142 from urban ) respectively selected using simple random and purposive sampling technique. The data collected from respondents were analyzed using statistical methods such as chi- square and binary logistic regression model. The result of the analysis revealed that there is a significant variation of early marriage among rural and urban areas. Staggeringly, 76.6% of women were married prior to 18 years. However, the prevalence vary spatially 95.5% were married in rural whereas 52.8% were in urban respectively below legal age of 18. Besides, Majority (51.8%) of women were married in between 2015-2018 particularly in the age group of 14-17, while the recent trend showed gradually declined in the last eight years. The study looks factors accountable for the prevalence of early marriage practices in the study results from multiple socio-economic, socio-cultural and conflict Furthermore, there are multiple factors associated within early marriage such as current age, educational attainment status, an increased risk of low economic, religious belief, peer pressure, media influence, low measures taken by lawyers, competition over scarce resources in the study area. Early marriage has negative impacts on the life of married women like; educational attainment dropout, lack of access to health care, unwanted pregnancies, being overburdened with domestic issues, intimate violence, the health and nutrition of children born to young mothers. Based on these findings the study recommends all stakeholders including counselors that the issues of girl-child education, child care and welfare, and those who are interested in saving the younger generation should push the government to make provisions such as incentives and to support female children from poor parental backgrounds