Will you marry me, later? Age-of-marriage laws and child marriage in Mexico
Summary & Objectives
The study examines the impact of raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old in Mexico.
Findings
Using a difference-in-differences model that takes advantage of the staggered adoption of the reform across states, the authors find a large reduction in the number of registered child marriages. However, the study finds no effect on school attendance or early fertility rates.
Recommendations
The findings indicate that the reform mainly replaced formal marriages with informal unions. Where informal unions are a realistic option for young couples, raising the legal age of marriage alone is therefore insufficient to prevent early unions and their associated harms.
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