Early Marriage, an Alarming Reality in Bangladesh

Marriage has been chosen as a scapegoat for reducing burden of parents in Bangladesh. Thus often marriage takes place at early age, i.e., during childhood, which is known as ‘early marriage’. Premature marriage deprives the girls of the opportunity for personal development as well as their rights to health and wellbeing.
The objectives of this study were to identify the causes of early marriage for girls and determine the factors associated with early marriage. Findings revealed that mean age at marriage for rural area was 15.21 years and for urban area it was 17.13 years and for Bangladesh it stood at almost 16. These readings confirm early marriage still exists. About 72% of the respondents were married before they reach 18. The most important determinant of age at marriage was found that arranging marriage is perceived as the only socially acceptable way to have sex and child bearing.