Child marriage among women in West Bengal: pervasiveness, spatial variation and socio-economic connections

Abstract

ABSTRACT A human rights violation, child marriage among women, is not an uncommon practice and has continued for centuries in India. Whatever its origin, the reason for its persistence is an issue that needs to be re-looked. Therefore, the present study analyzed the spatial variation of child marriage and also identified the key drivers of this practice in the high prevalence state of West Bengal, India, using the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) dataset. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between child marriage and socioeconomic indicators. Multiple regression analysis has been used to examine the key determinants of child marriage. The result reveals that Uttar Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, South 24 Parganas and Puruliya districts have performed well, whereas performances of Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts are disappointing. The study also finds that there is a significant association between child marriage and respondents' educational level, place of residence and household wealth. Findings suggest that by increasing the higher educational and employment opportunities, economic support for poor families and increasing awareness about the adverse effects of child marriage are the effective steps to mitigate the issue.