# Who wants to marry a preteen? Come on down! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101 "2012-04-18T00:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/1 "2012-04-18T00:20:38Z")
[http://trinidad.usembassy.gov/getting\_married\_in\_tt.html](http://trinidad.usembassy.gov/getting_married_in_tt.html) > [@](#): > > The minimum age for Muslim marriages is age 12, and the minimum age for Hindu marriages is age 16. For further information, please contact the Registrar General. :eek: Damn, to be fair I have never heard of this happening but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/2 "2012-04-18T00:25:27Z")
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](http://family.findlaw.com/marriage/state-by-state-marriage-age-of-consent-laws.html) provided there is parental consent. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/3 "2012-04-18T02:48:39Z")
> [@grude](#): > > :eek: Damn, to be fair I have never heard of this happening but who knows. 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. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/4 "2012-04-18T13:54:41Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/5 "2012-04-18T14:05:44Z")
> [@kimera](#): > > 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 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/6 "2012-04-18T14:09:24Z")
Cite #6 in [this paper](http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1345&context=uhp_theses&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Ddecreasing%2520age%2520of%2520menarche%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26sqi%3D2%26ved%3D0CCEQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fopensiuc.lib.siu.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1345%2526context%253Duhp_theses%26ei%3DhMqOT7j0GYqviQKtypmAAw%26usg%3DAFQjCNHBBtgH2ra8uL38Dd80JFHG8OR6Kg#search=%22decreasing%20age%20menarche%22), 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](http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/plowden/plowden1-02.html) has tracked the trend in Europe over 100 years or so. But neither documents the “17 years old” statement above. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/7 "2012-04-18T16:14:30Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/8 "2012-04-18T16:32:30Z")
> [@kimera](#): > > 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. [Do tell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Beaufort,_Countess_of_Richmond_and_Derby). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/9 "2012-04-19T23:44:24Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > [Do tell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Beaufort,_Countess_of_Richmond_and_Derby). 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. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-marry-a-preteen-come-on-down/619101/10 "2012-04-19T23:53:11Z")
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