Early Marriage of Women and Education of Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cases of Mali and Nigeria

We analyzed the impact of early marriage of women on children's education in Mali and Nigeria using data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Surveys. We employed instrumental variables, Binary Probit, and multiple linear regression models to conduct our analysis. Our findings reveal several key insights. Firstly, early marriage of women reduces the number of years of schooling for children in Mali and in Nigeria. Secondly, early marriage of women diminishes the likelihood of children completing primary school in Mali and Nigeria. This latter discovery is the most crucial contribution of our research, as no previous study has explored this relationship. Additionally, we confirmed the mother's education as a pathway through which this negative impact on children's number of years of schooling is transmitted, but we have not confirmed it as a channel for influencing school completion. As policy implications for the amelioration of children’s education in these countries, we recommend that their governments work for an increase in the age at first marriage of girls, through an improvement in their education and a delay in their first sexual intercourse.