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Childhood Vows, Career Costs: The Impacts of Early Marriage and Childbirth on Women’s Employment in Egypt - Evidence from ELMPS 2023

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  • Yusra Alkasasbeh

    (Northeastern University)

Abstract

Egypt’s female labor force participation remains among the world’s lowest, at 16 percent in 2023. Results indicate that 13.8 percent of women aged 16-64 who got married before the age of 18 work 1.2 percentage points less than their peers who did not marry early. Additionally, 16.3 percent of these women had a first birth before 20, working 1.7 percentage points less than those who delayed childbirth. However, after controlling for age, schooling, maternal background, and region, survey-weighted logit average marginal effects for early marriage and early childbirth are statistically indistinguishable from zero (p > 0.10), suggesting that lower employment reflects differences in human capital rather than transition timing. Interaction terms show that the employment premium associated with secondary or higher schooling is erased by early marriage (AME = –0.051, p

Suggested Citation

  • Yusra Alkasasbeh, 2025. "Childhood Vows, Career Costs: The Impacts of Early Marriage and Childbirth on Women’s Employment in Egypt - Evidence from ELMPS 2023," Working Papers 1785, Economic Research Forum, revised 20 Jul 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:erg:wpaper:1785
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    4. Yount, Kathryn M. & Crandall, AliceAnn & Cheong, Yuk Fai, 2018. "Women’s Age at First Marriage and Long-Term Economic Empowerment in Egypt," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 124-134.
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