Assessing the Determinants of Women’s Age at First Marriage in Rural and Urban Areas of Bangladesh: Insights From Quantile Regression (QR) Approaches

Abstract

This study aims to assess the determinants of age at first marriage of women in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. The multiple linear regression (MLR) and quantile regression (QR) were employed for analyzing the secondary datasets collected from the 2006, 2012–2013, and 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). The study reveals that the prevalence of early marriage in both rural and urban areas of Bangladesh was extremely high (79% vs. 21%) in 2019. An increasing trend of early marriage in rural areas is evident from 2006 to 2012 compared to a decreasing trend from 2013 to 2019. On the contrary, an opposite scenario is evident in the urban areas. The MLR and QR analysis consistently show that women’s age, geographical division, ethnic group, religion, wealth index, and women’s education are significantly associated with age at first marriage. More specifically, the higher likelihood of early marriage is evident for women living in rural areas, with a low family income, and lower education, living either in Barisal, Rangpur, Khulna, or Rajshahi, and believing in Islam. Generating and implementing more income opportunities for women, raising awareness about the drawback of early marriage, and designing new strategies would improve the current situation.