Getiye Dejenu Kibretb
Introduction: Across the globe, women and girls continue to occupy a lower status in society as a result of social and cultural traditions, attitudes and beliefs that deny them their rights and stifle their ability to play an equal role in their homes and communities. Female child early marriage is one of the most traditional practices in the globe. The causes of early marriage are complex, interrelated and dependent on individual circumstances and context. The practice is driven by factors that include gender inequality, poverty, negative traditional or religious norms, weak enforcement of law, and the pressure caused by conflict and natural disasters
Methods: Community-based cross sectional study design was carried out. The data ware analyzed using logistic regression and the degree of association between independent and dependent variables was assessed using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval.
Results: The odds of early marriage practice was 12.2(95% C.I: 5.79, 26.23) times higher among rural residents compared to urbanites. Families with monthly income of ranging 451 -650 were 2.5 times more likely to practice early marriage compared to those having monthly income of more than eight hundred (95% CI: 1.2, 4.97).
Conclusion: variables like residence, family monthly income, perceived ideal marital age, knowledge of legal marital age and knowing someone who was accused of early marriage crime were independent determinants of early marriage practice.
