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Political role models and child marriage in India

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  • Carolina Castilla

Abstract

Drawing data from the most recent wave of the India Human Development Survey and the year of the first election with reserved seats for women, I estimate the effect of the Panchayati Raj institutions on child marriage. In India, marriage traditions dictate that two ceremonies take place: the wedding and the gauna ceremony. These differ in timing and purpose. After the wedding, the bride and groom do not necessarily live together. The gauna ceremony indicates the start of marital life and the consummation of the marriage. Results indicate that women in local government decrease the likelihood of child marriage, and delay the age at first marriage and the gauna ceremony. Delaying marriage has important policy implications for both the bride and her future children as it improves education, autonomy over fertility, and health. The results indicate that after 18 years of implementation, exposure to women in government can reduce the prevalence of child marriage.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolina Castilla, 2018. "Political role models and child marriage in India," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 1409-1431, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:22:y:2018:i:4:p:1409-1431
    DOI: 10.1111/rode.12513
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    Cited by:

    1. Katy Bergstrom & Berk Özler, 2023. "Improving the Well-Being of Adolescent Girls in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank Group, vol. 38(2), pages 179-212.
    2. Rustagi, Niharika & Akter, Sonia, 2022. "The impact of women's political representation on child health outcomes during 1990–2020: Evidence from a global dataset," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    3. Priyanka, Sadia, 2020. "Do female politicians matter for female labor market outcomes? Evidence from state legislative elections in India," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. McGavock, Tamara, 2021. "Here waits the bride? The effect of Ethiopia's child marriage law," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).

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