I DO?! But what if I don’t?? – Ep. 59

2025-03-14

A marriage license before a driver’s license? In some states in the U.S. – YES – it's totally legal, even today. And if you think these unions are simply young lovers who can’t wait to “make it official,” think again. Research shows 86% of childhood marriages involve girls married to adult men, and in many of those cases, the age difference is vast. The co-hosts take a closer look at the stats and share true stories of truly criminal marriages in this edition of The Escape Pod. Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

A marriage license before a driver’s license? In some states in the U.S. – YES – it's totally legal, even today. And if you think these unions are simply young lovers who can’t wait to “make it official,” think again. Research shows 86% of childhood marriages involve girls married to adult men, and in many of those cases, the age difference is vast. The co-hosts take a closer look at the stats and share true stories of truly criminal marriages in this edition of The Escape Pod.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

Topic #1 3:21 Intro to topic: escaping childhood/forced marriages

Topic #2 9:40 Categories of laws that allow for childhood marriages

Topic #3 24:16 Breakdown of childhood marriage stats

Topic #4 30:57 Survivors’ stories

Topic #5 46:14 Escapism, co-host-style!

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