“ Impact of early marriage on education and employment” case of the Tajik republic

Abstract

Early marriage is a serious problem in many countries, which prevents women from getting higher education and better job opportunities. The main goal of the current research is to examine the impacts of early marriage on education outcomes and employment in the context of Tajikistan. Early marriages have negative impacts on women's educational attainment levels and their participation in the labor market. For women, education and employment become not a priority as they have household duties and children to take care of after getting married. This means that such interference with their studies prevents them from acquiring the necessary skills and qualifications that are important to obtain well-paid jobs. Their engagement in labor markets gets limited, leading them to become financially dependent on their husbands. Therefore, they are often limited to low-paying jobs or remain unemployed, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and dependency. This research uses cross- sectional data of women for the year 2017 from the Demographic Health Survey, including all regions of Tajikistan. The present analysis uses Logit and Probit estimation methods to investigate the relationship between early marriage, educational attainment, and employment status. In exploring these effects, this research seeks to raise awareness about the problem of early marriage among women in Tajikistan, along with promoting initiatives that work to delay marriage and build up educational and employment opportunities for young women. Underlying these problems is important to improve women's empowerment and expand economic development in Tajikistan.