Peer-reviewed article
Big Sisters and Child Marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa
Erdal Asker, Daniel Rees, Jorge Agüero ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This study looks at whether having an older sister, rather than an older brother, affects a girl's chances of marrying before age 18 in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the natural randomness of a firstborn sibling's sex, the researchers find that girls with an older sister are less likely to marry as children. Older sisters are also linked to lower rates of teenage sexual activity and teenage childbirth, and to greater awareness of HIV/AIDS among their younger sisters. These protective effects are strongest in more socially conservative countries, where access to information about sex and reproductive rights tends to be limited.
Key points
- Having an older sister reduces the likelihood of marrying before age 18 by about 1.5 percent
- Older sisters reduce the likelihood that younger sisters become sexually active as teenagers
- Older sisters reduce the likelihood that younger sisters give birth as teenagers
- Older sisters increase younger sisters' awareness of HIV/AIDS
- Effects on child marriage are largest in more conservative societies, as measured by the Social Institutions and Gender Index
Limitations
The abstract does not specify the data source, sample size, or countries covered, and the mechanism through which older sisters influence outcomes is not detailed.
Abstract
We study the effect of having an older sister on the likelihood that girls in sub-Saharan Africa marry before reaching adulthood. Relying on the randomness of the firstborn siblings sex, we show that having an older sister (as opposed to an older brother) reduces the likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 by 1.5 percent. In addition, we find that older sisters reduce the likelihood that their younger sisters become sexually active as a teenager, reduce the likelihood that their younger sisters give birth as a teenager, and increase their younger sisters awareness of HIV/AIDS. The estimated effects on childhood marriage are largest in more conservative societies (as measured by the Social Institutions and Gender Index), suggesting that the protective role played by firstborn sisters can be especially important when access to accurate information about sex and reproductive rights is limited.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Presence of an older sister (versus an older brother) as a family structure factor
- Population
- Girls in sub-Saharan Africa with an older sibling
Key finding
Reduces likelihood of marrying before age 18 by 1.5 percent
Asker et al. · Crossref · 1 Jan 2025