Correlates of Child Marriage in Zimbabwe

In countries where child marriage remains widespread, concerted efforts are underway to eliminate it, but overall progress remains uneven and slow. One in three Zimbabwean girls marries by age 18. To inform the country’s efforts to reduce child marriage, data from 5,542 women aged 20 to 24 years in the 2005-2006, 2010-2011, and 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys are used to examine individual-, household-, and cluster-level correlates. Cumulative incidence functions first document changes over time, and multilevel models are used to explore correlates. Although prevalence is high, younger cohorts were less likely to marry young. A woman’s education, wealth quintile, religion, and provincial residence correlated with marrying as a child. Cluster-level female schooling, number of children ever born, and proportions using contraceptives were also correlated with child marriage. Efforts should promote socioeconomic well-being and target cultural practices promoting the practice. Interventions targeting at-risk women should complement universal approaches to combating child marriage.