It was passed in response to a campaign by the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship.

This section amended the law so that a marriage contracted by persons either of whom was under the age of sixteen years was void.

[4] In section 1(1), the words from the beginning to "Provided that" were repealed by part I of the Fifth Schedule to the Marriage Act 1949.

In Pugh v Pugh (1951), Pearce J said: According to modern thought it is considered socially and morally wrong that persons of an age, at which we now believe them to be immature and provide for their education, should have the stresses, responsibilities and sexual freedom of marriage and the physical strain of childbirth.

[5]The Justice of the Peace and Local Government Review said that "Acts of Parliament that lay down hard and fast rules interfering with individual liberty are certain to give rise to some unsatisfactory results" and that this particular Act was "no exception".