Trends in the Timing of Marriage among Men and Women in the Developing World

Barbara Mensch, Population Council
Susheela Singh, Alan Guttmacher Institute
John Casterline, Population Council

Trends in the Timing of Marriage among Men and Women in the Developing World Barbara S. Mensch and Susheela Singh This paper reviews the literature on the timing of marriage in developing countries and using UN data from 74 countries and DHS data from 51 countries examines trends in age of first marriage of both men and women. We investigate the extent to which the delay in first marriage that has been observed among women in many countries is continuing and whether it is also occurring among men. The focus on men as well as women is a major contribution as the demographic and sociological literature on timing of marriage in developing countries has been limited almost exclusively to women. While the analyses are essentially descriptive, it is hoped that we will provide the basis for hypotheses that will lead to further in-depth research.