Combating Child Marriage in Bangladesh
A Signal to End Child Marriage: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh
Despite improvements in female education and job opportunities, child marriage remains common in Bangladesh. Researchers tested a financial incentive to delay marriage coupled with a girls’ empowerment program. Girls eligible for the incentive were 19% less likely to marry young. Surprisingly, the empowerment program didn’t reduce child marriage. The study suggests that social norms influence marriage decisions, impacting the effectiveness of interventions. The incentive also had positive effects on girls not directly targeted.
Buchmann, Nina, Erica Field, Rachel Glennerster, Shahana Nazneen, and Xiao Yu Wang. 2023. “A Signal to End Child Marriage: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh.” American Economic Review, 113 (10): 2645-88.
