Family Dynamics in the Context of Forced Migration

Forced Displacement, Migration, and Fertility in Burundi

“…The first intermediate variable, intercourse, has an immediate impact on fertility when partners are physically separated due to the war, when entry into sexual union is delayed, when couples separate or when coital frequency is decreased due to, for example, stress. (Abbasi-Shavazi et al 2018). Intercourse outside unions may increase, however, through coercion, rape, or transactional sex with the possibility of increased extramarital childbearing.…”

Persistence and Change in Marriage Practices among Syrian Refugees in Jordan

“…The impact of conflict on adolescents’ exposure to early marriage is context specific and often difficult to assess empirically due to challenges with data availability and comprehensiveness (Neal, Stone, and Ingham 2016; Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018). In situations of forced migration, data challenges are compounded by the selectiveness of refugee populations relative to their countries of origin (Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018). Yet accurate estimates of change in early marriage rates among conflict‐affected populations are critical for planning the humanitarian response for sexual and reproductive health services.…”

“…Such changes in marriage practices are particularly important because brideprice and other marriage expenditures, as well as nuclear family residence upon marriage, are often associated with women's autonomy and economic resources within the household (Salem and Shah 2016; Nazier and Ramadan 2017). How these incentives and barriers to early marriage continue to evolve as Syrians’ presence in Jordan is prolonged or refugees begin to return home will be an important area for future research, particularly as the global literature shows that the dynamics of marriage and family formation are likely to change during different stages of refugees’ displacement and resettlement (Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018).…”

“…Notably in Lebanon (Saxena, Kulczycki, and Jurdi 2004) and Palestine (Khawaja, Assaf, and Jarallah 2009), economic hardship due to conflict led to delays in marriage as the costs of marriage became increasingly difficult for men to meet. Disruption of social networks, lower availability of men as spouses, and changing gender norms are other factors that have been argued to lead to decreases in early marriage in different conflict and displacement settings (Neal, Stone, and Ingham 2016; Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018). In longer‐term situations of displacement, forced migrant populations may also adapt to the customs of the host community (Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018).…”

“…Disruption of social networks, lower availability of men as spouses, and changing gender norms are other factors that have been argued to lead to decreases in early marriage in different conflict and displacement settings (Neal, Stone, and Ingham 2016; Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018). In longer‐term situations of displacement, forced migrant populations may also adapt to the customs of the host community (Abbasi‐Shavazi, Mahmoudian, and Sadeghi 2018). As early marriage prevalence is lower among Jordanians than the Syrian refugee population (Sieverding, Berri, and Abdulrahim 2019), this would imply that marriage ages may rise over time among Syrians.…”