Minimum marriage age laws and the prevalence of child marriage and adolescent birth: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

In this study, Maswikwa et al highlight the challenges of curbing child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa, a continent where pluralistic legal systems are common.

Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the McGill MACHEquity Child Marriage Database, the study looks at whether countries with consistent laws against child marriage, that is, where girls are required to be 18 or over to marry, to marry with parental consent and to consent to sex, have lower rates of child marriage and early child bearing.

The results suggest that such laws can have a positive impact on the prevalence of both child marriage and early child bearing.