Discrepancies in self-reporting of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan: concealment or misperception?

Halimbekh, Narhulan, Campbell, Olympia L.K., Xie, Yishan, Yeerjiang, Anaer, Dmitrieva, Anna, Aisarieva, Almagul, Zhalieva, Zhamila, Toktorova, Damira, Sooronbaeva, Cholpon Kabylovna and Mace, Ruth 2025. Discrepancies in self-reporting of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan: concealment or misperception? Human Nature 10.1007/s12110-025-09500-1

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Abstract

Bride kidnapping, where Women are abducted for marriage, persists in Kyrgyzstan despite being illegal. Although it is estimated that up to one-third of marriages in Kyrgyzstan result from abduction, the true prevalence of this practice is unknown. Estimates are based on self-reporting of a practice that has become illegal. Here we examine whether there are sex and intergenerational differences in this reporting, that reflect a changing legal and social environment that might influence the self-reporting of bride kidnapping marriage. Using data from 468 participants in two Kyrgyz villages collected through 2023, this study examines self-reporting discrepancies in kidnap marriages among married couples. Significant differences were found in how husbands and wives report their marriages: husbands often describe the marriages as consensual, while wives see them as non-consensual. These discrepancies show a convergence over time, with couples married more recently agreeing on the marriage type. Furthermore, fathers often reported their son's marriages as consensual, while the sons themselves reported them as non-consensual, highlighting a generational divide. Our findings suggest a normative transformation driven by cohort replacement, where evolving attitudes toward consent erode the cultural mechanisms sustaining bride kidnapping. This offers insight into the evolutionary dynamics of such gender-biased harmful practices, highlighting how legal reforms and societal pressures reshape perceptions over time. [Abstract copyright: © 2025. The Author(s).]

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > English, Communication and Philosophy
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	1045-6767
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 October 2025
Date of Acceptance:	12 August 2025
Last Modified:	03 Oct 2025 12:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181476

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