Agency of Children From Ankara-Türkiye Whose Mothers Married Early: “I Would Never get Married at an Early Age”

Abstract The agency of children whose mothers married early and the role of their families in such agency are unknown. To contribute to the production of such knowledge, the research has focused on an interpretive re-production approach and the intra-family generational context. The main aim of the study is to discover how their mothers' and the mother’s children’ agency is in the context of early marriage, and thus to reveal the role of their families of origin in their mothers' and their children’ agency. Semi-structured interview forms were employed to conduct in-depth interviews with these children, and Creswell's (2021) ‘data analysis spiral’ stages were followed in the thematic analysis of the data. Although traditional culture of adults plays a prominent role in the agency of mothers at a very early age, this study is the first sample of breaking away from the tradition of early marriage. Not only from the child's perspective, but also within the family and societal context to which the child belongs, changes in the fiction of child, childhood and young adulthood play a significant role in these children’s and their families' opposition to early marriage. This has also shown that children's agency in the context of early marriage lies in the intersection of the intentions and expectations specific to both adult culture and the culture of these children. This research is the first initiative to provide answers as to why families should be the focus in expanding the agency of children in the context of early marriage, and it may guide future research.