Peer-reviewed article
Associations of Age at Marriage With Marital Decision-Making Agency Among Adolescent Wives in Rural Niger
Shweta Tomar, Nicole E. Johns, Sneha Challa, Mohamad I. Brooks, Sani Aliou et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how the age at which girls marry in rural Niger is associated with their ability to participate in household decisions. Researchers analysed data from 796 married adolescent girls, over half of whom were married before age 15. Girls who married at older ages had greater participation in economic and healthcare decisions, but this did not translate into greater satisfaction with their decision-making control. The findings suggest that very early marriage leaves girls in particularly disadvantaged positions regarding household decision-making.
Key points
- Over half of 796 married adolescents in rural Niger were married before age 15
- Each additional year of age at marriage was associated with increased odds of participating in economic decisions (adjusted odds ratio 1.23)
- Each additional year of age at marriage was associated with increased odds of participating in healthcare decisions (adjusted odds ratio 1.18)
- Greater participation in decisions was not associated with greater satisfaction with control over those decisions
- The study recommends programs targeting inequitable gender norms to reduce early child marriage and increase decision-making participation
Limitations
As a cross-sectional study, this work cannot establish causation or determine whether differences in decision-making are due to age at marriage itself or other confounding factors. The lack of association between participation and satisfaction suggests unmeasured factors related to gender norms or expectations may be influencing girls' perceptions of their control.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Child marriage is associated with multiple adverse health and social outcomes. Although evidence suggests that child marriage is associated with reduced participation in personal and household decisions for women, less is known about the association between age at marriage and decision-making among married adolescent girls. This study assesses associations between adolescents' age at marriage and two dimensions of decision-making (participation and satisfaction) in the high early marriage prevalence settings of Niger. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a cluster-randomized control trial of a community-level program to increase the use of modern contraceptives among married adolescents in the Dosso region of Niger were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association of age at marriage with married girls' participation in and satisfaction with decision-making processes. RESULTS: More than half of married adolescents (N = 796) were married before reaching the age of 15 years. Older age at marriage was associated with adolescents' increased participation in decisions related to economics (adjusted odds ratio: 1.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.43) and health-care access (adjusted odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.40), but not with greater reported satisfaction with their control over these decisions. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that marrying as a very young adolescent places girls in even more disadvantaged positions regarding decision-making. These findings indicate the need to design programs targeted at addressing inequitable gender norms to reduce early child marriage and increase participation in decision-making. Further study of satisfaction with participation in decision-making is recommended, including consideration of whether it is related to gender norms for participation in decisions rather than actual participation.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Adolescent girls who marry very young have reduced participation in household decision-making
- Intervention
- Assessment of the relationship between age at marriage and decision-making participation and satisfaction among married adolescent girls
- Population
- 796 married adolescent girls in Dosso region of Niger; over half married before age 15
Key finding
Each additional year of age at marriage increased odds of participation in economic decisions by 23% (adjusted odds ratio 1.23, 95% CI 1.05-1.43)
Tomar et al. · OpenAlex · 19 Nov 2021