Questions and Answers: Families

1. Why is early marriage seen as a problem?
2. What does the report say on arranged marriages?
3. Could delayed marriage lead to promiscuity and spread of AIDS?
4. What are the risks when young men marry then work in cities or abroad, away from their families?
5. What does the report say about legislating against early marriage?

1. Why is early marriage seen as a problem?

Early marriage is associated with various negative outcomes, especially for women. For example, early marriage is associated with early childbearing, and this may restrict young women's opportunities for learning and working. It is also correlated with low domestic status - younger women have little say in decision making - and with domestic violence. In South Asia, domestic violence is one of the major causes of deaths among young women who married early.

Also, recent evidence shows that high HIV/AIDS incidence is highest among young women married to older men, who are more likely to be HIV-positive than younger men. In Kenya and Zambia, HIV infection rates were about 50% higher among married girls than unmarried girls. We can't be sure that early marriage is the cause of these bad outcomes. For instance, it's not being married early that causes young women to become infected with HIV - it's the fact that they are married to older, HIV-positive men and have unprotected sex.

The report does not suggest a "right" age for marriage; but as childbearing often follows immediately after marriage, and pregnancy at an early age is highly risky for both baby and mother, we do not recommend marriage at an early age when girls are physiologically not ready for childbearing. And as early marriage leaves girls unprepared -they are most likely to drop out of school, for example - it is a problem both for the mother and her family.

 

2. What does the report say on arranged marriages?

The report says that while young people may make poor decisions, they are also able to decide wisely, when given the opportunity, the correct information, and perhaps some guidance. It is true that young people today are more likely to marry later and have more say in whom and when they marry. In surveys commissioned for the report, more than half of young women in countries as diverse as Iraq and Ethiopia are already making these decisions for themselves. But the report takes no position on arranged marriages. Some researchers attribute the decline in arranged marriages and the shift of marriage decision making from parents to young people to the increased education of women, and clearly the expansion of education has been universally positive.

 

3. Could delayed marriage lead to promiscuity and spread of AIDS?

Although it is true that more young people today are engaged in pre-marital sex, it is not clear that this is riskier than sex within marriage, nor is there any evidence that the incidence of premarital sex is higher today than in the past. What puts young people at the risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS is not promiscuous behavior per se, but unprotected sex. And unprotected sex even within marriage can increase the risk of HIV. There is evidence from Kenya and Zambia that HIV infection rates were more than 50% higher among married young women than sexually active unmarried young women in late 1990s. The report argues that the most effective way to prevent HIV/AIDS is to provide information and the means to avoid infection.

 

4. What are the risks when young men marry then work in cities or abroad, away from their families?

There is some evidence that people who migrate for work, especially men, are at higher risk of contracting HIV. Migration does open up ways in which young people can be exposed HIV. But if the concern is over HIV, the best way to intervene, in the short run, is to provide condoms and other services to these migrants to prevent the transmission of the virus. The approach that works - as in the case of Thailand - is to inform them of the dangers and provide access to condoms. In the long run, the solution is more broad-based economic development that can take advantage of the pool of available underemployed young men so they are not forced to migrate to seek work to support their families.

 

5. What does the report say about legislating against early marriage?

The report acknowledges that laws can raise social awareness of the issue. However, legislation alone may not be effective. Early marriage continues to be prevalent even among countries that have made it ostensibly illegal. This is for two reasons. First, the customs surrounding marriage may be more powerful and have more influence on behavior than laws. Second, laws are often selectively and inequitably enforced.

It is preferable to intervene by altering incentives, and better still preferences, to change behavior. In the report we highlight a few interventions that have succeeded in delaying marriage among young women by opening up alternative opportunities. One program in India led both to delayed marriage as well as to improved decision-making skills and the use of contraceptives.

The report does not suggest a "right" age for marriage; but as childbearing often follows immediately after marriage, and pregnancy at an early age is risky for both fetus and mother, we do not recommend marriage at early age when girls are physiologically not ready for childbearing. The report stresses that good preparation - having an education, being well-informed and well-nourished - is critical for a successful transition to family formation. For boys and for girls. Clearly, very young girls are NOT well prepared for the transition to a married life.