I can't imagine it was common practice in 1990 or 1979 for 16 year old girls to get married, even in the rural south.
I was 16 in '82, and I was in rural Kentucky - and don't try to tell me that is more "progressive" than rural Alabama, and that wasn't common. It happened but to say its common I believe is too much of a generalization.
I'm thinking maybe 4 out of 100 at best. Now 17, 18? - summer after high school graduation - different story. maybe as high as 20 out of 100.
Now in areas where there is nothing but farming, I'm sure those numbers are higher, but I still can't believe it was common.
It was pretty common where I lived in AL. I consider 4 out of 100 pretty common.
There were several girls I grew up with that were pregnant before they turned 16, usually to someone older than them. This was late 80's/early 90's. I know one girl that was married the day after she turned 16 to someone her father picked out who was probably 20-25 years older than her. It was a common practice for there to be a big age difference between married couples here. There is a 14 year age difference between Moore and his wife.
