TY - RPRT AU - Westoff, Charles F. CY - Calverton, Maryland, USA TI - Trends in marriage and early childbearing in developing countries T2 - DHS Comparative Reports No. 5 PB - ORC Macro PY - 2003 UR - http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/CR5/CR5.pdf AB - Profound demographic changes are occurring in the developing world in connection with women’s age at entry into marriage and parenthood. A demonstrable pattern of later age at marriage has emerged from analyses of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data from 59 countries in surveys conducted between 1990 and 2002. The delay of marriage is now evident in many but not all countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The trend is mo re advanced in Asia and North Africa; and it is continuing in Latin America, although only modestly. It is occurring in both urban and rural areas and among women with no formal education as well as educated women. In many developing countries, it is reflected by later age at birth for women having their first child. Although teenage fertility is declining in some countries, a few Latin American countries have experienced increases in teenage pregnancy and childbearing, evidently caused by increases in the proportion of sexually active adolescents. These exceptions notwithstanding,the general picture is one of changes consistent with lower fertility and associated improvements in women’s status. Other analyses confirm the decline of polygyny in sub-Saharan Africa, although its prevalence remains high in some countries. Informal unions are increasing. The trend toward later age at marriage for women in sub-Saharan Africa is not evident for men. One result of this difference is the narrowing of the age difference between spouses. N1 - For assistance using downloaded citations from The DHS Program, please visit http://dhsprogram.com/publications/Citing-DHS-Publications.cfm. This publication was made possible through support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development under the terms of Contract No. HRN-C-00-97-00019-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). ER -