Rising Child Marriages in Post-Soviet Countries: Case of Azerbaijan

Background and Purpose: Research shows that globally the proportion of child marriage, marriage of women below age 18, decreased from 18% to 15% within the last 30 years. In 1980, one out of four female children entered marriage whereas now one out of three enter marriage before age 18. Child marriage, however, is rising in post-Soviet countries after the collapse of the USSR. In Azerbaijan, a former USSR country, which experienced high level of emancipation and empowerment of women during Soviet period, child marriage has risen from 4.7% in 2006 to 12% in 2014. Globally, the driving factors for child marriage are low level of education of children, poverty, and type of residence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if these same factors determine child marriage in Azerbaijan, a leading oil and gas exporting country.

 Methods:  The study uses the Demographic and Health Survey data, a nationally representative survey from Azerbaijan conducted in 2006. I analyzed data from  5,799 women between 15 and 49 years of age. SAS Statistical software was used to conduct descriptive, bi-variate and multivariable logistic regressions and answer the proposed research question.  

 Results: Overall, the study found that 85% of marriages in Azerbaijan happened when women were between 16 and 25 years of age. Mean age of marriage was 20.15 (M=21.15; SD=4.07). About 15% of ever-married women aged 15–49 years were married before the age of 18 years. The study revealed that child marriage in Azerbaijan was significantly associated with years of education (p=0.0001) controlling for other factors. One additional year of education reduced the likelihood of marriage before age 18 by 21%. The type of place of residence of families was also significantly associated with age at the first marriage (p=0.0095). The women residing in urban areas were 26% less likely marry before age 18 than women residing in rural areas. However, the study did not find any significant association between family wealth and child marriage in Azerbaijan.

 Implications: Unlike the rest of the world, in Azerbaijan child marriage has been rising in recent years. This study implies that the government of Azerbaijan should focus its attention to improving the educational level of young women, especially those that reside in rural areas.