Publication: Child Marriage, Early Childbearing, Low Educational Attainment for Girls, and Their Impacts in Uganda
Date
2017-12
ISSN
Published
2017-12
Author(s)
Abstract
The proportions of girls marrying or
having children before the age of 18 have been declining in
Uganda according to data from the latest publicly available
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) implemented in 2011. Yet
despite progress, more than one third of girls still marry
as children, and close to three in ten girls have their
first child before turning 18. Similarly, despite
substantial efforts to improve educational attainment, only
one in four girls completes lower secondary school, and an
even smaller proportion completes upper secondary school.
The government of Uganda has adopted a national strategy to
end child marriage and teenage pregnancies. Improving girls’
education is also a priority of the government.
Unfortunately, the cultural, economic, and social conditions
that have historically contributed to child marriage, early
childbearing, and low educational attainment for girls
remain strong. More needs to be done to accelerate progress.
To inspire greater investments in adolescent girls, this
note analyses the economic and social impacts of these
issues in Uganda. The note also suggests potential options
for investments.
Citation
“Wodon, Quentin; Male, Chata; Onagoruwa, Adenike; Savadogo, Aboudrahyme; Yedan, Ali. 2017. Child Marriage, Early Childbearing, Low Educational Attainment for Girls, and Their Impacts in Uganda; Child Marriage, Early Childbearing, Low Educational Attainment for Girls, and Their Impacts in Uganda. The Cost of Not Investing in Girls;December 2017. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29039 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”