Demographic

Table 6.3 Number of co-wives: Women and men age 50+Percent distribution of currently married women age 50+ by number of co-wives and percent distribution of currentlymarried men age 50+ by number of wives, according to background characteristics, Swaziland 2006-07WomenNumber of co-wivesBackgroundcharacteristic 0 1 2+ Missing TotalNumberofwomenNumber ofwivesMen50+ 1 2+ Missing TotalNumberof men50+Age50-54 51.8 28.0 12.4 7.8 100.0 96 83.5 15.5 0.9 100.0 10055-59 64.4 16.0 9.4 10.2 100.0 57 79.3 19.1 1.6 100.0 6660+ 56.6 22.3 15.8 5.4 100.0 113 78.2 20.3 1.6 100.0 188ResidenceUrban 61.4 9.0 8.8 20.8 100.0 22 83.7 15.8 0.4 100.0 57Rural 55.4 25.7 12.9 6.1 100.0 212 78.1 20.1 1.8 100.0 257RegionHhohho 59.2 14.4 20.5 5.9 100.0 62 78.1 21.9 0.0 100.0 91Manzini 58.2 25.4 8.0 8.4 100.0 72 81.0 16.8 2.2 100.0 88Shiselweni 53.6 35.4 4.0 7.0 100.0 61 77.7 19.5 2.8 100.0 72Lubombo 50.2 19.6 21.4 8.9 100.0 38 79.7 18.7 1.6 100.0 62Education levelNo education (58.3) (19.3) (20.8) (1.6) 100.0 37 81.5 18.0 0.5 100.0 51Lower primary * * * * 100.0 18 (74.8) (25.2) (0.0) 100.0 27Higher primary 55.8 29.4 13.0 1.8 100.0 70 75.6 23.3 1.1 100.0 89Secondary 57.1 21.1 11.2 10.5 100.0 83 79.6 19.7 0.8 100.0 120High school 58.0 23.0 10.8 8.3 100.0 52 89.2 7.1 3.7 100.0 52Tertiary * * * * 100.0 7 * * * 100.0 14Total 50+ 56.5 23.0 13.2 7.3 100.0 267 79.9 18.7 1.4 100.0 354Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that an estimate is based onfewer than 25 unweighted cases.6.3 AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGEMarriage is generally associated with fertility because it is correlated with exposure to risk ofconception. The duration of exposure to the risk of pregnancy depends primarily on the age at whichwomen first marry. Women who marry earlier, on average, have their first child earlier and give birthto more children, contributing to higher fertility rates.Marriage occurs remarkably late in Swaziland. Only 15 percent of women age 25-49 marrybefore age 18 and 26 percent have married by age 20 (Table 6.4). The proportion of women marryingby each age appears to have declined over time. Among women age 45-49, 31 percent were marriedby age 20 compared with only 13 percent of women age 20-24. The median age at marriage amongwomen increases from 23.3 years among women age 45-49 to 25.6 years among women age 30-34.The lower panel of Table 6.4 shows the distribution among men. Only 7 percent of men age25-49 were married before their 20 th birthday, and 32 percent were married before age 25. The medianage at marriage among men age 45-49 is 26.2 years, more than two years earlier than men age 30-34.86 | Other Proximate Determinants of Fertility