Why is child marriage legal in multiple US states?
HENMAN79 on
Can’t drive a car, but you can be married
Sregor10 on
Can’t drink a beer but let’s make a lifetime commitment at 15!
esocharis on
IANAL, but I believe parental consent is required in the states where the age is under 18. Some states will waive this if the girl is pregnant or already emancipated, but its not like 15 year olds can go get hitched on their own, even if the state allows them to marry.
MorningMission9547 on
So in different US states you can get
Driving license, marriage and gun permit ~ 16
But alcohol is 21 across the board
???
AleksandrNevsky on
Finally, something respectable about the state I live in. Also wtaf Cali?
VinlandRocks on
Fucking awful question but the child brides… are they expected to consumate the marriage or do they get spared until they’re age of consent
cbih on
Wtf California?
Much-Confection-9120 on
Of course it’s California with no minimum age.
VoteGiantMeteor2028 on
Idaho is not correct. 16 is when you don’t need judicial approval. But you can go down to 12 or younger if your parents consent and a judge approves. So same category as California.
xxcuttingboardxx on
Excuse me, what the fuck?
Graymouzer on
The laws have changed. Massachusetts raised the age to 18 in 2022. There is a bill in SC to raise it to 18 now although it is worth pointing out that it is only 16 with notarized parental consent now. California also requires parental consent for marriages under 18 but has no lower age limit. In fact, no state in the US allows marriage under 18 without parental or judicial consent. I was curious what the youngest age a person actually got married at and could not find numbers for 2025, but between 2000 and 2015, three 10 year olds were married in Tennessee. I don’t know what they were thinking there. The vast majority of underage marriages are 16 and 17 year olds.
romcomtom2 on
CarbideLeaf on
An example of how a graphic, however accurate can bend your perceptions by clever use of color.
cheefMM on
Ohio may soon be purple, good things willing
bellerinho on
Common California L
Ada_Pearce on
12 for girls, 14 for boys….jfc
-MerlinMonroe- on
Fun fact – The ACLU actively opposes any child marriage bans. They’ve litigated against several states over them because they view marriage as a human right.
HedoniumVoter on
Kinda seems insane for anyone to get married before they can legally consent to have sex as an adult and before they legally have the full rights of an adult. Recipe for forcing children into abusive relationships.
diescheide on
New Mexico requires parental consent for 16-17 year olds. 15 or younger requires a court order and parental consent.
Dennyisthepisslord on
You can get married but not have a drink to toast it until you feel the 7 year itch creeping up??
Objective-Meet8223 on
Reno 911 had a handy dandy public service reference card for this.
Morchades on
So the common law minimum is insane to begin with but being two years younger for girls is extra awful.
michelle427 on
I as a Californian find it WILD that we don’t have a minimum age for marriage.
Big-Property-6833 on
I hate the government telling me what to do but id support a law to make it 25. Marriage is a very serious commitment and can affect your whole life.
onetime20431 on
Sometime we can be a really creepy country.
Sea-Seesaw-8699 on
15 in Kansas! 😱. All republicans
Morlock19 on
and once again new england understands the assignment
Repulsive-Medium1254 on
i had a coworker from Tennessee that married his wife when she was 13, with her parent’s permission. this was back in the 1960s. they are still married.
thesmart_indian27 on
Raise the marriage age to 21.
GoldenMom97 on
Ahh Nebraska where you aren’t an adult until 19, but can get married at 17
Winslow_99 on
I honestly think that it should be like +20 or +21
Leftover_Cheese on
for the first time ever in one of these kinds of maps, california and mississippi share a category
DoctorDirections on
My state is literally the only state in the northeast to not have marriage set at 18 years old😭😭😭 whyyyy
Plenty-Ad96 on
I didn’t expect Texas to be one of the “16” ones. With its morals, you’d think they’d allow marriages to fetuses.
(This is coming from a born and raised Texan of 24 years so I know what I’m talking about.)
Zephylia on
Surprising to see California lumped in with Mississippi in any manner, but especially this! Wild.. I for sure figured CA would be an 18+ state, considering how progressive/law savvy they are in every other aspect d:
PL-PRchaser on
Idk where this information comes from or what exceptions it accounts for but firsthand I can tell you that I got married at 20 in Mississippi within the last 10 years and I had to have a notarized parental consent form signed by a parent because I wasn’t 21.
CanyonFriend on
12 and 14 are too young for anyone. Should be at least 18
FilteredRiddle on
Just, ew. Those all need to be purple. Yikes.
National_One7548 on
Yeah, this map has problems. In NH, in 2018, they raised the marriage age 14 to 16. That’s right folks. 14 years old. It is currently 16 with permission.
And to make it worse- a disgusting state senator argued against making it 18 years old!
“ In May 2024, New Hampshire State Representative Jess Edwards (R-Auburn) faced severe backlash for arguing against a bill that would raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, referring to 16 and 17-year-old girls as being at a “ripe, fertile” age for marriage. “
40 Comments
Why is child marriage legal in multiple US states?
Can’t drive a car, but you can be married
Can’t drink a beer but let’s make a lifetime commitment at 15!
IANAL, but I believe parental consent is required in the states where the age is under 18. Some states will waive this if the girl is pregnant or already emancipated, but its not like 15 year olds can go get hitched on their own, even if the state allows them to marry.
So in different US states you can get
Driving license, marriage and gun permit ~ 16
But alcohol is 21 across the board
???
Finally, something respectable about the state I live in. Also wtaf Cali?
Fucking awful question but the child brides… are they expected to consumate the marriage or do they get spared until they’re age of consent
Wtf California?
Of course it’s California with no minimum age.
Idaho is not correct. 16 is when you don’t need judicial approval. But you can go down to 12 or younger if your parents consent and a judge approves. So same category as California.
Excuse me, what the fuck?
The laws have changed. Massachusetts raised the age to 18 in 2022. There is a bill in SC to raise it to 18 now although it is worth pointing out that it is only 16 with notarized parental consent now. California also requires parental consent for marriages under 18 but has no lower age limit. In fact, no state in the US allows marriage under 18 without parental or judicial consent. I was curious what the youngest age a person actually got married at and could not find numbers for 2025, but between 2000 and 2015, three 10 year olds were married in Tennessee. I don’t know what they were thinking there. The vast majority of underage marriages are 16 and 17 year olds.
An example of how a graphic, however accurate can bend your perceptions by clever use of color.
Ohio may soon be purple, good things willing
Common California L
12 for girls, 14 for boys….jfc
Fun fact – The ACLU actively opposes any child marriage bans. They’ve litigated against several states over them because they view marriage as a human right.
Kinda seems insane for anyone to get married before they can legally consent to have sex as an adult and before they legally have the full rights of an adult. Recipe for forcing children into abusive relationships.
New Mexico requires parental consent for 16-17 year olds. 15 or younger requires a court order and parental consent.
You can get married but not have a drink to toast it until you feel the 7 year itch creeping up??
Reno 911 had a handy dandy public service reference card for this.
So the common law minimum is insane to begin with but being two years younger for girls is extra awful.
I as a Californian find it WILD that we don’t have a minimum age for marriage.
I hate the government telling me what to do but id support a law to make it 25. Marriage is a very serious commitment and can affect your whole life.
Sometime we can be a really creepy country.
15 in Kansas! 😱. All republicans
and once again new england understands the assignment
i had a coworker from Tennessee that married his wife when she was 13, with her parent’s permission. this was back in the 1960s. they are still married.
Raise the marriage age to 21.
Ahh Nebraska where you aren’t an adult until 19, but can get married at 17
I honestly think that it should be like +20 or +21
for the first time ever in one of these kinds of maps, california and mississippi share a category
My state is literally the only state in the northeast to not have marriage set at 18 years old😭😭😭 whyyyy
I didn’t expect Texas to be one of the “16” ones. With its morals, you’d think they’d allow marriages to fetuses.
(This is coming from a born and raised Texan of 24 years so I know what I’m talking about.)
Surprising to see California lumped in with Mississippi in any manner, but especially this! Wild.. I for sure figured CA would be an 18+ state, considering how progressive/law savvy they are in every other aspect d:
Idk where this information comes from or what exceptions it accounts for but firsthand I can tell you that I got married at 20 in Mississippi within the last 10 years and I had to have a notarized parental consent form signed by a parent because I wasn’t 21.
12 and 14 are too young for anyone. Should be at least 18
Just, ew. Those all need to be purple. Yikes.
Yeah, this map has problems. In NH, in 2018, they raised the marriage age 14 to 16. That’s right folks. 14 years old. It is currently 16 with permission.
And to make it worse- a disgusting state senator argued against making it 18 years old!
“ In May 2024, New Hampshire State Representative Jess Edwards (R-Auburn) faced severe backlash for arguing against a bill that would raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, referring to 16 and 17-year-old girls as being at a “ripe, fertile” age for marriage. “