Connection among Raised Legal Age at Marriage, Increased Use of Contraception and Reduced Fertility

Raising the current legal age at marriage can decrease the proportion of married at adolescent ages and at the same time, increased use of contraceptive can reduce fertility in Bangladesh. Contraception appears as the most prominent determinant in fertility reduction in Bangladesh.

The main aim of this study was to explore current fertility level in Bangladesh and examine the role of proximate determinants in determining fertility levels. Slight increase is observed for age at first marriage in the last two decades, but still high proportion married at age 15 – 19. Another important finding of the study is the change in age-specific fertility patterns, which indicate that childbearing is taking place at an early age currently than it had been in the past. As the desired level of fertility is declining and age at marriage is rising very slowly, couples tend to reach their desired number of children in quick succession immediately after marriage and then regulate fertility at older ages.

Reference:

Rabbi, A. M. F. (2016). Do increasing legal age at marriage and increased use of contraception will matter to achieve demographic goal: Revisiting the role of proximate determinants in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Scientific Research, 28(1), 27-34.

http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/BJSR/article/view/26241/17624

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