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REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN CHILD MARRIAGE IN BANGLADESH

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2016

Md. Kamrul Islam ,
Md. Rabiul Haque  and
Mohammad Bellal Hossain
Md. Kamrul Islam*
Affiliation:
Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Md. Rabiul Haque
Affiliation:
Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mohammad Bellal Hossain
Affiliation:
Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
*
1Corresponding author. Email: kamruldps@du.ac.bd
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Summary

This study aimed to investigate the regional variations in the prevalence of child marriage in Bangladesh with a view to providing recommendations for division-specific policy interventions. Data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey were analysed using multivariate logistic regression. Substantial regional variations in child marriage were found in Bangladesh. Rangpur and Khulna had more than four times higher odds of child marriage than Sylhet (4.57 and 4.11 times, respectively). Barisal and Rajshahi had more than three times higher odds of child marriage than Sylhet (3.70 and 3.48 times, respectively). Chittagong and Dhaka had about two times odds of child marriage than Sylhet (1.98 and 2.67 times, respectively), even after controlling for selected socio-demographic, economic and cultural characteristics. Respondent’s education, employment status, husband’s education and wealth index were inversely associated with the prevalence of child marriage. The policy implications of these findings are discussed in the context of Bangladesh.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 48 , Issue 5 , September 2016 , pp. 694 - 708
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

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