How marriages based on bride capture differ : Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of women in the Kyrgyz Republic marry viaala kachuu,generally translated as bride capture or kidnapping. Many regard this practice asharmless elopement or a tradition; others perceive it as a form of forced marriage. OBJECTIVE: This paper contributes to the understanding ofala kachuu by exploring the extent towhich couples in these marriages differ from those in arranged or love marriages. METHODS: We use the 2013 wave of the Life in Kyrgyzstan survey to compute profile similarityindices for the personality of couples. We then regress marriage type on the profilesimilarity index, controlling for sociodemographic variables.RESULTSCouples in marriages resulting from bride capture are far less assortatively matched onpersonality traits than other couples, especially those who have only recently married. CONCLUSIONS: This greater dissimilarity is consistent withala kachuu being forced marriage ratherthan merely staged or ritualized elopement. CONTRIBUTION: This paper provides a novel source of evidence on the possible nonconsensual nature ofbride capture in Kyrgyzstan, adding further weight to those arguing that it is forced.