11.03.2024 New Publication: "Economic determinants of child marriage: Evidence from the Iranian provinces"

A new study conducted by Farzanegan and his co-authors, published in the Children and Youth Services Review, delves into the socio-economic determinants of early marriage in Iran. The study reveals that early marriage rates decrease with higher income levels and rise with increased inflation and inequality. The research finds no significant influence of religiosity on early marriage, all other factors remaining constant.

In this paper, we use time-series data on early marriage (girls) across Iranian provinces for the first time to identify the impact of social and economic factors on this phenomenon. Our panel regression method allows us to control for province-specific factors (such as local norms, traditions, and differences in climate) by including fixed effects, reducing the risk of omitted variable bias. Using data from 30 provinces of Iran from 2007 to 2015, we demonstrate that lower levels of income per capita, and higher inflation and income inequality are the primary drivers of early marriage. Religiosity, measured by the proportion of household spending on religious products and services in total spending, is not significantly related to the early marriage rate.

Read the paper at:  https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1ikeXhNfL1Eg6