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Attitudes towards early marriage and related factors among adolescent girls in Ethiopia
Hanna Gulema, Ayah Hamdan, Jessica Gingles, Lauren E. Friedman, Bizu Gelaye et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This cross-sectional study surveyed 3,013 adolescent girls aged 13-17 in four districts of the Oromia region of Ethiopia. It looked at how the girls' attitudes towards early marriage relate to whether they were married. About 8.3% of the girls were married, and about 87.0% held an overall positive attitude towards early marriage. Married girls, or those living with a partner, were less likely than unmarried girls to feel they should have a say in whether, when and whom to marry. The authors conclude that efforts to prevent early marriage should strengthen girls' decision-making and agency.
Key points
- The prevalence of early marriage among the adolescent girls surveyed was 8.3%.
- About 87.0% of girls had an overall positive attitude towards early marriage.
- Married girls were less likely to believe they should have a say in whether to marry (OR=0.32; 95%CI 0.18-0.57).
- Married girls were less likely to believe they should decide when to marry (OR=0.52; 0.31-0.88) or have the final decision over marriage (OR=0.48; 0.32-0.73).
- The authors recommend that interventions strengthen women's decision-making and promote their agency.
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show whether attitudes lead to marriage or marriage shapes attitudes. It covers only four districts of Oromia, so it may not represent Ethiopia as a whole, and it does not test any intervention.
Abstract
Abstract Background Early marriage, although it remains a common practice in sub-Saharan Africa, has detrimental effects on women’s sexual and reproductive health, social networks, and educational attainment. We sought to investigate the association between attitudes towards early marriage and marital status among adolescent girls in Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3,013 adolescent girls aged 13-17 years of age, living in four districts of the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Sociodemographic characteristics and were participants’ attitudes towards early marriage were measured using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Results The prevalence of early marriage among adolescent girls was 8.3% and approximately 87.0% of girls had an overall positive attitude towards early marriage. Compared to adolescent girls who were unmarried, those who were married or living with a partner were less likely to believe they should have a say whether they want to marry or not (OR=0.32; 95%CI: 0.18-0.57), believe they should get to decide when to marry (OR=0.52; 0.31-0.88), and believe they should have the final decision over the decision to marry (OR=0.48; 0.32-0.73). Conclusions Interventions to prevent early marriage should strengthen women decision-making processes and promote women’s agency.