This article focuses on Indonesian adolescents who are wives and mothers,
demonstrating how early marriage and adolescent motherhood are normative
among women from poor Sasak communities in Western Lombok. It is
based on ethnographic research with 28 young mothers that included focus
group discussions, in depth interviews, and observations. Demographic and
ethnographic data on the aetiology of early marriage and adolescent motherhood
are discussed, and confirm that low educational attainment for girls, lack of
employment prospects, poverty, and low levels of economic development are
all associated with a higher probability of adolescent marriage and motherhood
in Indonesia. The article also reveals how conservative sexual morality and local
marriage customs can propel girls into early marriage. It provides a human rights
analysis that demonstrates how early marriage and adolescent motherhood
intersect with the neglect of girls’ rights to education, employment, equality in
marriage, health information, family planning, and maternal health.