Abstract
BackgroundGirl education is believed to be the best means of reducing girl child marriage (marriage <18 years) globally. However, in South Asia, where the majority of girl child marriages occur, substantial improvements in girl education have not corresponded to equivalent reductions in child marriage. This study examines the levels of education associated with female age at marriage over the previous 20 years across four South Asian nations with high rates (>20%) of girl child marriage- Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.MethodsCross-sectional time series analyses were conducted on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 1991 to 2011 in the four focal nations. Analyses were restricted to ever-married women aged 20–24 years. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of highest level of education received (none, primary, secondary or higher) on age at marriage (<14, 14–15, 16–17, 18 and older).ResultsIn Bangladesh and Pakistan, primary education was not protective against girl child marriage; in Nepal, it was protective against marriage at <14 years (AOR = 0.42) but not for older adolescents. Secondary education was protective across minor age at marriage categories in Bangladesh (<14 years AOR = 0.10; 14–15 years AOR = .25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.64) and Nepal (<14 years AOR = 0.21; 14–15 years AOR = 0.25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.57), but protective against marriage of only younger adolescents in Pakistan (<14 years AOR = 0.19; 14–15 years AOR = 0.23). In India, primary and secondary education were respectively protective across all age at marriage categories (<14 years AOR = 0.34, AOR = 0.05; 14–15 years AOR = 0.52, AOR = 0.20; 16–17 years AOR = 0.71, AOR = 0.48).ConclusionPrimary education is likely insufficient to reduce girl child marriage in South Asia, outside of India. Secondary education may be a better protective strategy against this practice for the region, but may be less effective for prevention of marriage among older relative to younger adolescents.
Highlights
UNICEF estimates that 10 million girls marry before age 18 years annually [1], increasing their risk for maternal and child morbidities and mortality [2,3]
To clarify the association between education and early marriage in the region, this study examines the associations of primary and secondary education with risk for marriage of girls across early and later adolescence over the past 20 years for the four South Asian nations most affected by this practice- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal
77% of this ever married sample was married prior to age 18 years, with those in Bangladesh most likely and those in Pakistan least likely to be married as minors. (See Table 1.) No receipt of education was reported by 15–58% of most recent survey respondents, with women from Bangladesh being most likely and women from Pakistan least likely to report any education
Summary
UNICEF estimates that 10 million girls marry before age 18 years annually [1], increasing their risk for maternal and child morbidities and mortality [2,3]. Pakistan’s law designates 16 years as the legal marital age for girls These age-at-marriage laws are atypically enforced in the region, as marriage is viewed as a family rather than civil matter, governed by religion or culture rather than law [14]. To clarify the association between education and early marriage in the region, this study examines the associations of primary and secondary education with risk for marriage of girls across early and later adolescence over the past 20 years for the four South Asian nations most affected by this practice- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. This study examines the levels of education associated with female age at marriage over the previous 20 years across four South Asian nations with high rates (.20%) of girl child marriage- Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan
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