Socio-demographic correlates of age at marriage in Nepal: an empirical analysis

Abstract

Age at marriage of girls is gradually increasing in Nepal, but still there is a lower age at marriage in the Terai. This paper aims to investigate the reasons for early marriage of girls among some families in Nepal with particular focus on the Terai and seeks answer to the research question ‘What are the prominent sociodemographic and cultural factors that influence marriage timing of women in Nepal?’
 Findings from empirical data analysis reveal that determination of marriage timing is a complex phenomenon. There are several factors that influence marriage timing of women in Nepal. Although bivariate analysis shows a further elaborative list of factors, multivariate analysis confirms the effect of each variable while controlling the effect of other variables. The prominent factors influencing marriage timing of women are age, place of birth, age at menarche, education of women and their mothers, and caste or ethnicity, and religion.
 The significant differences in the risk of marrying early among caste and religion groups, and the significantly higher risk among caste/ethnic groups of Terai origin and Muslims who reside mainly in the Terai, are supported by the distinct sociocultural differences with more strict marriage norms and practices prevalent among these groups. The low educational level of these groups in general and women in particular further increases their risk of marrying at an early age. An education level of some secondary and above seems to be a protective factor against early marriage, but many of the caste and ethnic groups (except Terai highcastes) and Muslims of Terai have substantially low education, particularly among women. Lower age at menarche of girls of Terai origin may also be associated with early marriage as age at menarche and age at marriage of girls were positively associated. The lower age at menarche of girls of Terai caste groups in particular seems to be an important factor creating pressure on parents to arrange marriage of their daughters at an early age.

Quantifying the association of natal household wealth with women’s early marriage in Nepal

“…Like other studies, we also find that disadvantaged castes, especially of the Muslim faith, tend to have lower education ( Stash & Hannum, 2001 ; Sah, 2018 ; Devkota, Eklund & Wagle, 2020 ), but this factor was not associated with early marriage. Caste affiliation may be a maker of overall status in society, and therefore act as another marker of access to resources and life opportunities.…”

“…They are assumed already to exist before a daughter marries. However, in contrast to the 12-asset score that has been used in previous studies on this population ( Saville et al, 2016 ; MOHP, New ERA & ICF International, 2017 ; Sah, 2018 ), we use an 8-asset score. We exclude goods such as color television, motorbike, and computer because they could have been acquired after the daughter had married, especially if there was a long time-gap between marriage and when the assets were measured.…”

“…Landlessness may increase the risk of food insecurity, which in turn has been associated with both lower schooling and earlier marriage ( Moock & Leslie, 1986 ; UNICEF, 2014 ). Caste affiliation is also linked to socio-economic status, with girls from disadvantaged castes generally completing less education and also marrying <18 years ( Stash & Hannum, 2001 ; Sah, 2018 ; Devkota, Eklund & Wagle, 2020 ). There is much less literature on the role of the natal household’s geographic location in relation to early marriage ( Marphatia et al, 2021c ), but greater distance to school has been found to be a key constraint to accessing education ( Jamison & Lockheed, 1987 ; Ayral, 2014 ; Devkota & Upadhyay, 2015 ).…”

Coming together: The role of marriage in assorting household educational and geographical capital in rural lowland Nepal

“…Throughout Nepal, marriage is usually arranged by parents or relatives within similar ethnic, caste, and religious groups (Samuels et al, 2017). Marriage traditions differ by caste and social norms relating to women's education, marriage behaviour, and timing (Bista, 1996; Sah, 2018). Generally, the wealthiest, advantaged Brahmin Hindu caste typically marry their daughters young, before menarche, whereas the poorer disadvantaged Dalit Hindu caste tend to delay marriage to benefit from their daughter's economic contribution to the household (Bennett, 1983; Sah, 2018).…”

“…Whereas previous work has addressed the socio‐economic factors associated with the likelihood of girls marrying “under‐age” (defined as <18 years by the United Nations) (Bajracharya & Amin, 2012; Sah, 2018), our interest here is in understanding the implications of variability in marriage age. Using data on 17,284 married women from lowland Nepal, our study investigates whether women's greater educational attainment and later age at marriage are associated with marrying a man with greater levels of educational and geographic capital.…”