According to the Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit that fights against child marriage and forced marriage, more than half of the United States do not have a minimum age requirement for marriage, including Florida. This leads to violations of statutory rape laws that are sometimes made legal through marriage loopholes.

Underage marriage in the United States and abroad is often influenced by culture and religion. If an underage girl gets pregnant, marriage can be used to cover up the sin of having kids out of wedlock, which would bring dishonor to the family.