A Decomposition Analysis of Trends and Gender Implications of Early Marriage: Comparing Muslim and Non-Muslim Countries

Prosper Fils Olemba Olemba, Institut de Formation et de Recherche Démographiques (IFORD)
Martine Massugeu Siaka, Institut de Formation et de Recherche Démographiques (IFORD)
Eric Stève Tamo Mbouyou, Institut de Formation et de Recherche Démographiques (IFORD)

This study investigates the changes in age at first marriage across a range of countries, and the extent to which it might affect later fertility, assortative marriage and gender roles. The analyses explore the role of cultural context including religion. The analyses are based on survey data from DHS. A preliminary analysis based on two countries show that, contrary to common assumption, age at first marriage has risen more in the country with the higher Muslim population.