Macro-Level Correlates of Early Marriage in Asia

Abstract

Although the practice of child or early marriage—defined as marriage by age 18—has been declining around the world, one in every five young women still marry as children. The majority of child brides live in Asia and that includes over 400 million women. Yet, no study to date has investigated cross-national differences in early marriage and its correlates in Asia. Using data from multiple sources, this paper describes the geographical distribution of early marriage in Asia, assesses the extent to which the exiting variation is related to demographic, economic, and gender-related factors, and examines the association between early marriage and health outcomes. The findings suggest that (1) the prevalence of early marriage varies widely among Asian countries; (2) the best single predictor of early marriage is the proportion of girls progressing to secondary school; and (3) early marriage is associated with poor health outcomes among women and children.