Trends in the Educational Attainment and Its Association with the Timing of Marriage among Women in Bangladesh: A Cohort Analysis

S. M. Mostafa Kamal, Islamic University

This study examines the trends in educational attainment and its effect on the timing of first marriage using a pooled sample of 59,792 ever-married women from the last six Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys data. Although there has been significant development in education, females’ age at first marriage has not increased as expected pace and direction. The estimated hazard ratios of the Cox regression analyses suggest that, the women born in recent cohorts and those married in the recent years were significantly more likely to delay marriage. The trends and differentials reflect delayed marriage due to increased level of education. Despite this, child marriage is still common in Bangladesh. The factors hidden behind early marriage among women are social custom, cultural norms and violation of ordinance of age at first marriage. To reduce early marriage, program should address the need to keep the girls in school for an extended period.