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British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research - Vol. 11, No. 3
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/bjhmr.113.17162.
Karim, M. (2024). Child Marriage in Bangladesh Due to The Result of Gender Inequality and Poverty: A Detrimental Issue to Society.
British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research, Vol - 11(3). 255-261.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Child Marriage in Bangladesh Due to The Result of Gender
Inequality and Poverty: A Detrimental Issue to Society
Mehnaz Karim
Department of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, School of Data Science,
BRAC University 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh
ABSTRACT
Child marriage, considering the girls under eighteen, is a substantial problem faced
by many young girls each year. Even though child marriage is habitually
accomplished to protect the physical security of young girls, marriage at these ages
can posture various intimidations to their lives, wellbeing, and upcoming visions.
In this journal I have focused the reasons and impact of child marriage in
Bangladesh, while considered our social and economic aspect. Even though
Bangladesh is a developing country, it has the eastern cultural impact as it is a part
of south-east Asia. This piece of writing will present the demographic picture along
with analysis, how the gender inequality, poverty, and social demand became a
detrimental issue to the lives of young girls of Bangladesh.
Keywords: Demography, child-marriage, literacy, dwelling
INTRODUCTION
It is the most important obstacle to stop child marriage in Bangladesh as parents who choose
to marry off girl children feel a genuine or alleged anxiety of sexual violence at the beginning of
puberty of their daughter. Many married young girls experience and accept mental and sexual
violence. Around 33 percent of young girls believe a husband is tolerable in beating his wife.
Marrying children is also considered as sexual violence which is disagreeable by the majority
of Bangladeshi parents. Therefore, the young women suffer from the risk of early pregnancy
which impacts negative health condition. Girls are helpless in the matter of child marriage and
hence their life is transferring into the context of natural disasters such as high density of
population.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The females in the society of South East Asia are observed as financial burden to their family.
Bangladesh is no exception to that and hence we observe the gender discrimination in our
country regarding child marriage. The rate is decreasing over the past 30 years but very slowly.
The two significant factors for child marriage are namely low literacy and poverty. Despite that
fact it is practiced in all sorts of social backgrounds and boundaries. Parents intend to impose
their influence in many decisions of their children’s life in South Asian cultures and of those, the
concern of marriage leads to the top. Girls are considered to be financial burden of the family
since they are not encouraged to join the workforce in rural are. The gender discrimination
becomes visible in the male dominating society. While a girl child reaches her puberty, parents
worry about protecting her purity.
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British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research (BJHMR) Vol 11, Issue 03, June-2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
DATA & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The source of data for this article are the following and are gratefully acknowledged:
• Trends, patterns and determinants of marriage in Bangladesh, Population monograph,
Volume-13.
• Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2019
METHODOLOGY
The trend of child marriage rate in the South Asian Countries have been observed based on the
data collecting from Trends, patterns and determinants of marriage in Bangladesh, Population
monograph, Volume-13. Later on, the focus of the demographic survey has conveyed to
proportion of child marriage for under aged women classified under the divisions of
Bangladesh while the observation has given attention to the place of residence and their
dwelling status. Low literacy rate leads to early child marriage according to the report of
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistic published in 2019. In this article the demographic statistical
analysis has been executed.
Data 1
Child Marriage in South Asian Countries:
Source of Data: Trends, patterns and determinants of marriage in Bangladesh, Population
monograph, Volume-13
Country %
Afghanistan 39.2
Bangladesh 64.9
Bhutan 30.8
India 44.5
Maldives 3.9
Nepal 40.7
Pakistan 21
SriLanka 13.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Child Marriage in South Asian
Countries
%
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257
Karim, M. (2024). Child Marriage in Bangladesh Due to The Result of Gender Inequality and Poverty: A Detrimental Issue to Society. British Journal
of Healthcare and Medical Research, Vol - 11(3). 255-261.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/bjhmr.113.17162.
According to UNICEF report “Ending Child Marriage: A profile of progress in Bangladesh” based
on the data from Bangladesh 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, Bangladesh has the
highest pervasiveness of child marriage in South Asia. According to the report 51% of young
women are married in under 18. Thirty-eight million females out of the female population of
Bangladesh are married before they turn 18 and thirteen million are married before they turn
15. It has been observed that the child marriage begins to decay for females who attend 10
years of schooling and pervasiveness falls below 50% amongst those with at least 12 years of
schooling. The report also states that females with an education beyond secondary school are
least likely to be victims, despite the fact that they live in poorer households and reside in rural
areas. Approximately one in three child wives have a spouse who is at least 10 years older
related to one in four young women who married in maturity.
Proportion of Child Marriage for Women Ages 10 and Above:
Source of Data: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2019
Age
Division of BD 10 - 14 15-17 18 +
Barisal 10.7 36.9 52.4
Chittagong 8.5 33.2 58.3
Dhaka 13.9 36.1 50
Khulna 23 39.1 37.9
Rajshahi 18.4 37.5 44.1
Rangpur 14 40.8 45.1
Sylhet 3.6 20.8 75.6
Place of Residence:
Age
10 - 14 15-17 18 +
Rural 13.7 36.3 50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Proportion of child marriage
Division
Proportion of child marriage for women ages 10 and
above
Age 10 - 14
Age 15-17
Age 18 +