Spousal and parental roles among female student populations in 55 low-and middle-income countries

Abstract

This paper exploits a vast database of international census and survey microdata to examine the relationship between school enrolment on the one hand and the status of being in a union or a parent on the other among female adolescents and young adults in low-and middle-income countries. Our analysis is based on widespread evidence for 55 countries among 15 to 24 year-old females. High shares of student population are strongly correlated with low shares in spousal and parental roles between countries. We show that this relationship is driven by the fact that students are less likely to be in spousal and parental roles compared to non-students. Nevertheless, as we compare older ages, the share of students reported as spouses and/or mothers increases. The prevalence of spousal and parental roles among the student population is correlated to the overall levels of spouses and mothers in the total population, even when controlling for the level of school currently attained.