ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF EARLY MARRIAGE ON GIRLS’EDUCATION IN AFAR REGIONAL STATE: THE CASE OF BERHLE WOREDA

Abstract

Early marriage significantly hinders educational opportunities for girls which increase the phenomenon of girls‟ school dropout. Hence, a descriptive and explanatory study method was adopted to examine the impact of early marriage on girls‟ education in Berahle Woreda. Mixed both (qualitative and quantitative) research approach was employed. The required primary data were gathered through survey and in-depth interview, while the supplementary secondary data were collected using document analysis. A stratified purposive and random sampling technique was implemented to select 269 primary school age girls Berhale Woreda. Binary and Multivariate logistic regression model was utilized to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios for the dependent variables (early marriage and school dropout), while the qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Out of 269 distributed questionnaires, 248 filled questionnaires were collected by the researcher at a response rate of (92.2%). The prevalence rates of early marriage and school dropout were 75.8% and 64.5%, respectively. The odds ratio of the association between early marriage and school dropout was 0.051[0.02-0.10], signifies that school dropout is 94.9% higher among early married girls than unmarried. However, after adjusting confounding variables, the probability of school dropout was estimated to be 84.4% higher among early married girls as compared to unmarried peers [AOR= 0.152; 95% CI: 0.049- 0.473]. The empirical multivariate analysis shows that religion, wealth index and residence were found to be significant predictors for both outcomes (early marriage and school dropout) and in contrast, religion, husband/household head education, husband or head occupation, wealth index, place of residence, ethnicity, and decision to marry were significant predictors for early marriage, while early marriage, religion, place of residence and wealth index were significant predictors for school dropout. Hence, the study concluded that early marriage is the most significant factor that increases the rate of girls‟ school dropout girls. Therefore, stakeholdersand policymakers must prioritize hotspots, socio-economic, and demographic factors to achieve a meaningful reduction in the incidence of early marriage and school dropout.