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The Effects of Compulsory Schooling Laws on Teenage Marriage and Births in Turkey

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  • Murat G. Kırdar

    (Department of Economics, Boğaziçi University, 34342 İstanbul, Turkey)

  • Meltem Dayıoğlu

    (Department of Economics, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey)

  • İsmet Koç

    (Institute of Population Studies, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey)

Abstract

This paper estimates the impact of the extension of compulsory schooling from 5 to 8 years in Turkey—which increased women’s schooling by more than a year—on marriage and birth outcomes of teenage women. We employ a regression discontinuity design, where we compare month-year of birth cohorts of women. The increased compulsory schooling years reduce the probability of teenage marriage by age 16 and first-births by age 17 substantially. However, these effects dissapear after ages 17 and 18 for marriage and first-births, respectively. Our results indicate strong incarceration effects of the policy on marriage and birth outcomes during the newly mandated compulsory schooling years as well as human capital effects on the time to marriage. However, the human capital effects on the probability of being ever-married vanish after a couple of years the students become free to leave school.

Suggested Citation

  • Murat G. Kırdar & Meltem Dayıoğlu & İsmet Koç, 2017. "The Effects of Compulsory Schooling Laws on Teenage Marriage and Births in Turkey," ERC Working Papers 1710, ERC - Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Oct 2017.
    • Handle: RePEc:met:wpaper:1710
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teenage marriage; births; education; compulsory schooling; regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General

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