Microsoft Word - AMICS-29Jan2013 - Childinfo.org

Wealth index quintile
Poorest 19.2 3,989 22.4 53.9 3,039 26.8 950 7.3 3,001
Second 15.6 4,143 18.4 47.8 3,119 20.2 1,024 7.1 3,000
Middle 14.6 4,227 17.8 45.1 3,135 21.6 1,092 7.7 2,993
Fourth 13.6 4,333 16.8 42.2 3,186 18.7 1,147 7.4 2,949
Richest 13.4 4,598 17.8 43.1 3,302 13.6 1,296 6.3 2,813
Total 15.2 21,290 18.6 46.3 15,780 19.8 5,510 7.1 14,757
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MICS indicator 8.6; 2 MICS indicator 8.7; 3 MICS indicator 8.8; 4 MICS indicator 8.9
Table 11.8 shows that about one in five young women aged 15-19 years is currently married
(20%). Overall, 15% of women aged 15-49 years were married before the age of 15, while 46%
were married before the age of 18. Urban girls and women (13%) are less likely to marry early
than rural girls and women (22%). Early marriage is also strongly related to the level of
education of the girl or woman. Young women without education are more than three times as
likely to be married before the age of 18 than are their counterparts who have secondary
education or higher. Significant differences among the regions were also found. The Western
region has the highest marriage rate (33%) of young women aged 15-19 years, while the Central
region has the lowest rate (12%).
The same trend was found among women first married before the age of 18 for the 20-49 years
age group. Significant variances are found across all background characteristics. For instance,
incidence was found to be lowest in the South East region (32%) and highest in the Central
Highlands region (58%). Of those women with no education, 48% were married before age 18;
45% of women with primary education only were married before age 18; while only 26% of
women with secondary education or higher were married before age 18. Looking at household
socio-economic status, 54% of those living in the poorest households were married before age
18, while the figure is 43% for those living in the wealthiest households. In urban areas, 43%
were married before age 18, while the rate is 47% in rural areas.
The percentage of women in a polygamous marriage is also provided in Table 11.8.
Countrywide, about 7% of women aged 15-49 years are in a polygamous marriage. No
significant variances of polygamous marriage were found between urban and rural areas, or by
household socio-economic status. Table 11.8 shows, however, that there are some differences
by region: the incidence of polygamous marriage is highest in the North Eastern region (8%) and
lowest in the Central region (5%). The incidence of polygamous marriage is almost twice as high
among women with no education (8%) than among women who have secondary education or
higher (4%). It was also found that young women are less likely to be in a polygamous marriage
than are older women. For instance, 2% of women aged 15-19 years are in a polygamous
marriage, while it is 11% for women aged 40-49 years.
Table 11.9 presents the proportion of women who were first married before age 15 and before
age 18 by residence and age groups. Examining the percentage of women married before age 15
and before age 18 by different age groups allows the trends in early marriage to be observed
over time.
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