Determinants of Age

at first marriage
 Age at first marriage

● Age at first marriage is the average age of

a person when they first get married.

● It varies by age, region, rural-urban

residence, religion, ethnicity and wealth.
Determinants of age at first
marriage
 Education: Figure: Women’s median age at first
Marriage by education
There is clear positive
association between age at Median age at first marriage among
Women age 25-29
marriage and level of
21.4
education among both women 18.6
17.4
and men. Women with an SLC 16.8
or higher marry almost 5 years
later than women with no
education. Among men, those
with an SLC or higher marry No education primary some SLC &
about 4 years later than those secondary above

with no education.
Employment and Economic Status:
Variation in occupation plays a role in age at
marriage. In villages people are mostly
engaged in agriculture and lives simple life
where as in rural area there are greater
expectations about job status and employment
stability to have standard life. On top of that
women are delaying marriage because of
shifting gender roles.
Region/place of Residence:
Ecological region of residence, affects
marriage behavior in Nepal strongly.
Women from Terai cast-groups
(Terai-origin) has much higher hazard of
marrying younger than Hills caste/ethnic
groups. . Marriages occur very early among
rural female youths than urban female
youths.
Socio-economic status:

The risk of early marriage was higher among

females of high socioeconomic status compared
with those of low socioeconomic status. High
socioeconomic status families are motivated, for
religious and prestige reasons, to get their
daughters married at an early age, preferably
before menarche.
Parents’ Education and Occupation:

Parents with higher education tend to

marry their children at higher age.
Mother’s education and occupation has
an important role compared to father’s.
Parents in white collar jobs delay
marriage of their children.
Others:
Marriage is influenced by family size,
family composition, caste/ethnicity
etc. Fear of security because of dowry
related and any other forms of
violence.
Thus, education, occupation and age
at menarche are the most powerful
factors in deciding the timing of first
marriage in Nepal.