http://trinidad.usembassy.gov/getting_married_in_tt.html
:eek: Damn, to be fair I have never heard of this happening but who knows.
There are states in the US where the marriageable age is that low, if the parents give their consent.
In fact, in California, there is no age limit provided there is parental consent.
What do you mean you’ve “never heard of this happening”? Girls have been marrying and having babies shortly after reaching sexual maturity since time began. It’s really nothing new or shocking.
It is shocking when sexual maturity is happening at lower and lower ages. The average age of menarche only dropped under 17 within the last 200 years. For most of our evolutionary history, it was impossible for a 12 year old to become pregnant.
I’ll be the guy.
Cite?
Joe
Cite #6 in this paper, for one, indicates a lowering of the age of menarche in recent times. Or at least such a thing has been observed. Also, this paper has tracked the trend in Europe over 100 years or so. But neither documents the “17 years old” statement above.
I mean I have never heard of a 12 year old getting married here in Trinidad in modern times, it might happen but most think the minimum marriage age is 18.
Yes my great grandmother got married at 13 so I am aware it happened in the past.
Just because she was married so young doesn’t mean the marriage was consummated right away. Often times, it was just a formality. In this case, it looks like it WAS, but for the most part, it was generally a betrothal. (Mary, Queen of Scots, was married as an infant, IIRC)
The youngest mother ever recorded was five, I believe. I think it was in the 1930s.
I think Elvis married Priscilla at a very young age, and then of course, there was Jerry Lee Lewis who married his 14 year old cousin, causing a major scandal.
Q