Thursday, October 31, 2002
Russian lawmakers to lower legal marrying age
A story released today by Kyodo News reports that the State Duma, the Russian lower house of parliament, unanimously approved a bill lowering the legal marriage age both for boys and girls at 14 under "special circumstances" such as pregnancy.
The bill gives the authorities power to approve early marriages after an investigation on the nature of the special circumstances involved.
Parental consent is taken into consideration but not necessarily required.
Russia's current legal marriage age is 18 for both men and women; pregnant girls may marry at 16.
The Federation Council, the upper house, is set to approve the bill, making it almost certain for the new marriage age to be effective in the near future.
While they marry early, the Russians are also known for high divorce rates. According to statistical data in the mid-1990s, three out of five couples in Russia ended up in divorce. A more recent survey put the divorce rate at 65%, reputedly the world's highest.
