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Marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Determinants, and Consequences

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  • David Shapiro
  • Tesfayi Gebreselassie

Abstract

Several decades ago, marriage among women in most of sub-Saharan Africa could reasonably be described as early and near-universal. However, it is apparent from a number of studies published in the past two decades that in many countries in the region, there is a trend toward delays in the onset of marriage, with early marriage becoming less prevalent. This trend is most notable among the urban and better-educated segments of the population. Rising age at first marriage, in turn, has played an important role in the ongoing fertility transition in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines union patterns of young women (aged 15–29) in more than two dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with the objective of documenting and analyzing the extent and nature of the ongoing changes in entry to union that are taking place in the region. We use data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs), and focus on those countries that have had multiple DHSs, so as to allow examination of within-country trends in union patterns. These countries represent nearly three-quarters of the population of sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to examining national-level data, the paper looks at data separately for urban and rural places, and includes as well an examination of data on union patterns in capital cities. After looking at trends in marriage, we analyze factors associated with these trends, most notably women’s education and economic well-being. The final part of the paper assesses the role of the observed declines in the percentages of women in union in contributing to the fertility transition that is taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • David Shapiro & Tesfayi Gebreselassie, 2014. "Marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Determinants, and Consequences," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(2), pages 229-255, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:33:y:2014:i:2:p:229-255
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-013-9287-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. SHAPIRO David & TENIKUE Michel, 2015. "Women’s Education, Infant and Child Mortality, and Fertility Decline in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Quantitative Assessment," LISER Working Paper Series 2015-07, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    2. Florianne C. J. Verkroost & Christiaan W. S. Monden, 2022. "Childlessness and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is There Evidence for a U-shaped Pattern?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(3), pages 319-352, August.
    3. Rokicki, Slawa, 2021. "Impact of family law reform on adolescent reproductive health in Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental study," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    4. David Shapiro & Andrew Hinde, 2020. "Laggards in the global fertility transition," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 18(1), pages 123-140.
    5. Lorenz, Aaron & Lee, Yu Na, 2023. "On Rice and Weddings: Impacts of Food Assistance on Child Marriage in Indonesia," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335954, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Mathias Lerch & Thomas Spoorenberg, 2020. "The emergence of birth limitation as a new stage in the fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(30), pages 827-858.
    7. Desmond Klu, 2023. "Are fertility theories still relevant in explaining fertility behaviour in traditional and contemporary societies in sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 1-17, June.
    8. David Shapiro & Michel Tenikue, 2017. "Women’s education, infant and child mortality, and fertility decline in urban and rural sub-Saharan Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(21), pages 669-708.
    9. Benson John & Natalie Nitsche, 2021. "Stalls and reversals in age at first marriage in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of female education expansion," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2021-022, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    10. Ben Malinga John, 2023. "Neglected forces of fertility variation in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of marital dissolution and repartnering," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2023-031, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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