Associations between early marriage and young women's marital and reproductive health outcomes: evidence from India.

TLDR

Early marriage in India is poorly understood in terms of its impact on young women's lives and reproductive choices. The study used data from 8,314 married women aged 20–24 across five Indian states, applying logistic regression to compare marital and reproductive outcomes between those married before 18 and those married at 18 or older. Women married at 18 or older were more likely to plan their marriage, reject wife‑beating, use contraception to delay first pregnancy, and give birth in a health facility, and less likely to experience physical or sexual violence, miscarriage or stillbirth, underscoring the need to delay marriage and strengthen legal and institutional support.

Abstract

Little evidence from India is available regarding the ways in which early marriage may compromise young women's lives and their reproductive health and choices. Data from 8,314 married women aged 20-24 living in five Indian states, obtained from a subnationally representative study of transitions experienced by youth, were used to compare marital, reproductive and other outcomes between young women who had married before age 18 and those who had married later. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify associations between timing of marriage and the outcomes of interest. Young women who had married at age 18 or older were more likely than those who had married before age 18 to have been involved in planning their marriage (odds ratio, 1.4), to reject wife beating (1.2), to have used contraceptives to delay their first pregnancy (1.4) and to have had their first birth in a health facility (1.4). They were less likely than women who had married early to have experienced physical violence (0.6) or sexual violence (0.7) in their marriage or to have had a miscarriage or stillbirth (0.6). Findings underscore the need to build support among youth and their families for delaying marriage, to enforce existing laws on the minimum age at marriage and to encourage school, health and other authorities to support young women in negotiating with their parents to delay marriage.