The Social Problems of Women Married Without a Court Contract: A Case Study in Mosul City

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the types of formal and informal marriages, focusing on marriages outside the court, highlighting the main reasons for them, and understanding the social, psychological, and economic problems resulting from this type of marriage. The study that followed the case study method resulted in:(economic factors being the primary reason for resorting to this type of marriage, followed by the existence of a love relationship between the parties. The reason for this is the families' fear for their daughters during the occupation of ISIS, as well as the widespread practice of early marriage in society). As for the problems resulting from marriage outside the court, the majority of the sample (84%) suffer from psychological problems such as depression, nervous and psychological breakdowns, and regret. The second-ranked problems are social problems (72%), manifested in isolation from society, and cutting off from family, relatives, and friends. Economic problems have the same impact, as the majority of married women outside the court suffer from extreme poverty and leaving their jobs (72%). A significant proportion of them also face violence (68%), and the violence extends to their families, leading to complaints being lodged with the police. Moreover, they face social stigma, bullying, and ridicule and are accused of having a bad reputation for accepting this type of marriage.