What is Nikah Mut’ah? Temporary marriage in Iran

Nikah mut’ah, commonly known as sigheh in Iran, is a form of marriage agreed for a specified period. This article draws on research by Kameel Ahmady and colleagues to examine the social and economic pressures associated with the practice, its implications for women and children, and proposals for reform.

The research asks how religious and social recognition of a relationship relates to people’s choices, security and access to support. For a wider collection of books, articles and audiovisual material, visit the temporary marriage in Iran research page.

On this page: Social and economic pressures · Women’s experiences and rights · Children, consent and education · Proposals for reform · Research and further reading

Social and economic pressures

In interviews conducted for Ahmady’s study of temporary marriage, participants discussed financial insecurity, difficulties finding work and expectations surrounding relationships. These accounts show how economic circumstances and social pressures can influence decisions about marriage.

Family expectations also feature in the research. The chapter on temporary and child marriage examines how some families use sigheh mahramiat to regulate young people’s relationships before an anticipated permanent marriage. It explores how this practice can create pressure towards child marriage.

Motivations and experiences vary. Understanding them requires attention to each person’s circumstances, including their freedom to choose, economic position and ability to seek help.

Women’s experiences, rights and support

The research identifies unequal power and social stigma as significant concerns. It describes how fear of judgement may discourage women from seeking support after harassment or violence, and examines relationships conducted without official registration.

Temporary and permanent marriage have different legal rules, including rules on maintenance, inheritance and how the relationship ends. The Civil Code text available through Refworld, for example, includes provision for agreed maintenance in temporary marriage. Its English translation is historical and unofficial; specific entitlements need to be checked against the applicable law and the circumstances of a case.

A House on Water considers these issues through people’s lived experiences. Its questions concern both formal rights and the practical ability to document a relationship, obtain support and challenge mistreatment.

Children, consent and education

Research on temporary and child marriage examines how family expectations, religious interpretations and wider inequalities can restrict young people’s choices. Concerns include pressure to proceed to permanent marriage and disruption to education.

UNICEF defines child marriage as a formal marriage or informal union involving someone under 18. It reports that girls who marry before 18 are less likely to remain in school and face greater exposure to domestic violence. This definition provides an international child-protection framework for the discussion.

Ahmady and colleagues’ An Echo of Silence provides a wider account of child marriage in Iran. Its focus on children’s experiences, family expectations and inequality places education, free choice and access to protection at the centre of the debate.

Proposals for reform

Reform should address the circumstances that make women and children vulnerable to coercion and exploitation. The following proposals call for changes in law, public services and social attitudes:

1. Set a minimum age of 18. Apply this protection to temporary marriage and sigheh mahramiat, alongside support to keep children in education.
2. Require official registration. Register all temporary marriages through clear, accessible procedures, with information about the associated rights and obligations.
3. Limit concurrent temporary marriages. Restrict men to one temporary wife at a time as part of efforts to reduce exploitation and unequal bargaining power.
4. Strengthen women’s rights. Establish equal rights to maintenance, inheritance and ending a relationship, supported by practical ways to enforce those rights.
5. Require counselling and clear information. Provide accessible advice on consent, sexual health and available support before a temporary marriage.
6. Improve public understanding. Use schools, media and community institutions, including mosques, to explain consent, child protection and where people can seek help.
7. Engage religious authorities. Encourage senior religious scholars to challenge practices that facilitate coercion, exploitation or child marriage.
8. Expand women’s opportunities. Improve access to education, secure employment and financial support to reduce economic pressure to enter or remain in unwanted relationships.

Research and further reading

A House on Water draws on research in Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan. The accompanying research article describes a qualitative approach using grounded theory and semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Its methods and participant accounts help readers assess how the conclusions were reached; findings from these settings do not establish national prevalence.

• A House on Water — the book on sigheh mahramiat and temporary marriage in Iran, with available editions and downloads.
• Pathological Analysis of Mut’ah or Temporary Marriage in Iran — the research article and its discussion of methods and findings.
• The Role of Temporary Marriage in Promoting Early Child Marriage in Iran — a chapter in Temporary and Child Marriages in Iran and Afghanistan.
• An Echo of Silence — research on early child marriage in Iran.

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