RELATIONSHIPS IT ,__

f (

I d" woMEN IN UNION From the teenage years onward, the majority of women are married.* In around one-fourth of the countries surveyed, at least 70 percent of reproductive age women are in union. Single women are particularly rare in Niger and Mali, where upwards of 85 percent of women between ages 15 and 49 are in union. In contrast, in Botswana and Namibia, the majority of women remain single; only 39 and 42 percent of women, respectively, report that they are married. In most of the surveyed countries, 10 percent or less of reproductive age women are divorced, widowed, or separated.

*Throughout report, marriagerefers to women who ate either formallymarried or are livingwith a partner.

tO MARITAL STATUS Percent distribution of women 15 to 49 by marital staus

• Mirrlcd/hGng li3~ct}l~r \\ldo~xcd/D~rced/bepara~ed • Nc,crNl.wrtcd ~'~ B .%1HA RAN A lHH.q Bot~IvalJa [9~8 8 Bur~,imz f'aso 199 3 i " ~i Burundi 198 - 7~ C~lnlerooll 199 I 7 D ~'a Ghana 198,'; 10 ~ p4sl 19~£ J Liberm 1986 ,~ladagaslar 1992 Malawi 1992 ,21 rr~ Mali 1987 4m Namibia 1992 Niger 1992 4 m 1990 s mmnm~ Rwand~l 1992 Senegal 1992/9.3 5mm~l 8ud~*n I989/90 4 lhnzania 1991/92 7bgo 1988 I Uganda 1988/89 J3 1 ~lJ Zambia 1992 Zimbabwe 1988/89 ;o

ASIA~NEAR EA,VI Egypt 1992 Indonesia 1991 Jordan 1991)/91 1992 L • i Pakistan 1990/91 h 19~23 3 I987 77miL:nd 1987 ( 7knisia l ')88 3 Yonen 1991/92

LA F1N A~IERICM/(,MR1BBEAN Bolivia 1989 I Brazil 1986" 7 Colombia 199(/ 11 Dominican Republic 1991 15 fil-uador 1987 El Salvador 1985 Guatonala 198 ~" Mexico I987 6 Paraguay 1990 6 Peru 1991/92 7 7trinidad dr 7bbago 1987 ?

0 25 50 7~ I O0 *k)~orncn 1S lo 44

I1 POLYGYNY AND WITH RELATIVES In some countries, traditional mari- tal practices are prevalent: Substantial numbers of women are married to men who have more than one or are married to blood relatives. In a number of countries in sub-Saharan , many women are married to men who have more than one wife. More than 40percent of women ages 15 to 49 are in polygynous in Burkina Faso, Mali. Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. Marriages between relatives are also common in various countries. Women in con- sanguineous unions typically marry earlier in life, have more children, and have higher mortality rates among their children than women married to nonrelatives. Consanguineous marriages are usually arranged marriages. In Pakistan, which is reported to have one of the highest rates of consanguineous marriage in the world, 63 percent of women are married to a relative, usually a first or second .

WOMEN 15 TO 49 MARRIED TO RELATIVES -

Egypt, 1992 40% Pakistan, 1990/91 - 63% ~ "'Tnnis;~1988 f "49%_ -. ,,~.,_~ . * 3'6% :z" ~:;~::.

• Refers to first - . -

12 POLYGYNY IN SUB.SAHARAN AFRICA Percentage of currently married women 15 to 49 in a polygynous union*

Burkiva Faso ~'~'~ Burundi .~'~ Cameroon ! v~ Ghana ] ')~ " Kenya 1')'~ Liberia i' 9~, Madagascar l!;'~_ El Malawi z .,c Mali 19"

Niger I 'J'i2 Nigeria I !J!n ~ Rwanda l~J':2 Senegal 19')2 " 19~ ~) 'J~ , ,J| Tanzania 1991';- Togo 19~,"

Uganda 1988/89 R Zambia 1992 Zimbabwe 1988/89

0 15 30 45 60

"Women in poly~nous unions are married to men who have other .

13 WHEN WOMEI'q FIRST MARRY Many women go straight from teenage life to married life. Typically, women spend little or almost no time single as adults prior to their first marriage. The age at which a woman marries often affects the rest of her life, influencing her level of education obtained, her participation in the labor force, and the number of children she has. In 14 out of 42 countries surveyed, at least half of women were married before age 18. Some women were barely out of childhood. In Mall Nig~ and Yemen, the median age at marriage is approximately 15 years: One-half of women in these countries were married before they reached age 1 Teenage brides are relatively rare in only two sub-Saharan countries surveyed. The medi- an ages at first marriage in Botswana and Namibia are approximately 24 and 25, ~vdy. Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, women tend to marry slightly later in life. The median age at marriage is 20 years or older in four out of 10 countries surveyed in Asia and the Near East. Among women in Latin America and the Caribbean, the median age at first marriage is 20 years or higher in six out of 11 countries surveyed.

14 AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE Median age at first marriage among women 25 to 49

SUt3-371IIAtb~IN At:RICT~ Botswana ] 9&~' Burkina Faso 1993 Burundi 1987 Cameroon 1991 Gbana 1988 F~ Kenya 199.3 Liberia 1986 Madagascar 1992 Malowi 1992 Mali 1987 Namibia 1992 Niger 1992 Nigeria 1990 Rwanda 1992

Senegal 1992/93 i Sudan 1989/90 Tanzania 1991/92 Togo 1988 Uganda 1988189 Zambia 1992 Zimbabwe 1988/89

ASIA/NEAR EAST Egypt 1992 Indonesia 1991 Jordan 1990/91 Morocco 1992 Pakistan 1990191 Philippines 1993 Sri Lanka 1987 1987 1988 Yemen 1991792

LATIN AMERICAJCAPdBBEAN Bolivia 1989 Brazil 1986" Colombia 1990 Dominican Republic 1991 ,,[

Ecuador 1987 i El Salvador 1985 Guatemala 1987" Mexico 1987 Paraguay 1990 | Peru 1991/92 THnidad & Tobago 1987

t2,5 25 *Women 25 m 44

15 PREMARITAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY On average, women in the countries surveyed are sexually active before they are married and first have sexual intercourse as teenagers. Social custom, however, often discourages premarital and places planning services outside the reach of teenagers. Many of the young women engaging in pre- marital sex are at increased risk of unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and school dropout• Among the sub-Saharan countries, young women first have intercourse about a year and a half before they marry. On average, young women in these countries have sex for the first time between ages 16 and 17 and get married between 18 and 19. There is a great deal of variation within the region• The difference between the median ages at first inter- course and first marriage is less than two months in Mali and Niger, but more than seven years in Botswana. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the average difference between age at first sex- ual intercourse and age at first marriage is approximately one year. Women tend to have intercourse and marry at older ages in this region than in sub-Saharan Africa. In Indonesia and the Philippines, there is a much closer correspondence among younger women between marriage age and the age at first sexual intercourse.

~**7 ~ AIDS •~ .~2:.- :~-___ ~ ~":~ _ ~ ~ ~-~*~.~ ~ - ~- ..... In a number of counmes. AIDS poses -~ .W;rh,~!~r tdauo~ps, m*,~y me of the gravest threats to womens health vmraen ate~fdisadvantage m p tecuag . and wall-being, ther~;.~ome may not be m a poa|tmn to ~¢:~

countries sussex-that while most women fidditydtfieirparmers. Inthccountriessur- :~ have heard of'~AlDS, many are not adequal~y veyed, ~n also tend to know mote abo~ ~:~ i~ormed. Only 63 percent of Zambian AIDS,~ln Buthlna Faso, 84 pert.era ofmm ~ worne~ for imtance, Mien that the ~ _- ....Amu,~-/l~t the disease is sexual~/trammitted,. ,.':- ~ is preventable. In the cmmtries surveyed, tel- .compared to 61 percent ofwumen~ Typlcal~. ativdy few of the womm who have heazd of ,nameepor~thatmog~'d~irinfotmationoa: "~ ~_ ~ men~oml_om me as a ptzvemlve ~/~IDS comes from the mass media, w~e' ~ ~ "mmmre. /da d - , morethan60--tme fi~women tend to report less rdiable ~ "~ women can name a ~tive meamm. ~b~l " "yommes, as falendsaud~aus~s. "~ only 6 pexcent mention condom me~ ~"kr " $ S~ m ~-S~ ~m ~g~

~- itingFamm~orttayingwithoaepermeras ~ • Bo~nmat, 1988 ....." --'s~: ~ ,pa~wenfi~ mmma'es. Monol~ay, how-- ; *.Bm.klna F'a~, 1993 ~'-'~ ~'~:;. ":'~i~ ~ may not africa woman protection if her • Kenya. 1993 .'~% - . -~ ;~:l~'merhasmultiplep armers" "While~mtal ~i~alawi lqn2 ¢':~ .. - • -. behavior ~ d~Ficalt to m~su~ men ate •=~- - "- a ...... :~: ~:

Kenya and Ta~.h, for itmance, mote than ~ ..7~,ml~:L992 ~ ~ •: 25 pement of men rem~rt~ ~ multiple . ~" 7"md~ahwe, 1988/89 ._~ ,~. -~: .~ Pormers in ~ than 6 Porc~

16 PREMARITAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY Median age at first intercourse and first marriage among women 25 to 29

lirst had mlctcoursc • I:im m~rried S UB-5~HARAN A FIU(.~t Botswana 1988 7z2 24.9 Burkina k)tso 3993 "l /Z5 Burundt 198- 9., 19.5 C~meroon 1991 !6 16.9 Ghana 1988 lit l&5 Kenya 1!1!)1 mm 195 Liberia 1986 5,5 IZ9 Madagascar 1992 189 Mall 1987 15.9 Namibia 1992" l| Niger 1992 15.1 Nigeria 1990 IXll IZ2 Rwanda 1992 Wf 20.9 5~negal 1992/9t • 16.8 Tanzania 1991/92 19.0 7bgo 1988 6.. 18,4 Uganda 1988/89 IZ5 Zambia 1992 6~ 18.0 Zimbabwe 1988/89 18,8

ASIA~NEAR EAST Indonesia 1991 18.6 Philippines 199.3 22,0

LATIN AMERICA~CARIBBEAN eZ~ Bolivia 1989 20.0 21.1 Brazil 1986 ~9 C~olombm 199(I f£ov. o 22. 5 19.8 Dominican Republic 1991 y~9 9 % Ecuador 1987 198 18.5 Guatemala 1987 m[ 20.2 Mexico 1987 '9.~ Paraguay 1990 5~6 20.8 Peru 1991/92 • 21,8 Trinidad & Tobago 1987 9 19,8

25 12.5 0 12,5 25

"Median age at ~rst marriage omk[ed because less than 50 percent married by ag~ 25

17