Correlates and consequences of delayed marriage in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2021
Abstract
This paper aims to examine the correlates of age at first marriage and the consequences of late marriage. Data for this paper were drawn from the 2014 Malaysian Population and Family Survey. Simple cross-tabulation and multiple classification analysis were used for the analysis. Age at marriage of women varied across socioeconomic groups. Among the ethnic groups, the Other Bumiputera entered marriage earliest, followed by the Malays, Indians and Chinese. Age at marriage was positively associated with urbanisation, educational level, and women’s autonomy in marriage. The assumption of modern norms and ideas, and escalating cost of marriage are important determinants of marriage postponement. Late marriage has a direct impact on demographic outcomes, resulting in ultra-low fertility for some groups of the population. Marriage postponement has positive socio-economic outcomes for individuals. However, postponing marriage beyond the prime reproductive age may result in some reproductive health problems. © 2021, Faculty of Economics and Administration. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Age at marriage, Delayed marriage, Ethnicity, Malaysian Population and Family Survey, Women
Divisions
Faculty_of_Business_and_Accountancy
Publication Title
Institutions and Economies
Volume
13
Issue
4
Publisher
Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya