Early marriage and health among women at midlife: Evidence from India

Objective This article links stress and cumulative disadvantage associated with early marriages with lower self-rated health, greater functional limitations, and chronic diseases among middle-aged women in India. Background Early marriage has been a defining feature of the marital landscape in India, but the literature is myopic in its assessment of the implications of early marriage by focusing primarily on the reproductive and sexual health outcomes of young women. Methods The study used the 2005 and the 2012 waves of the nationally representative India Human Development Survey (IHDS). It utilized a sample of 36,283 currently married women from the second wave and 16,474 women from the panel data. Propensity score matching was used to account for selection into early marriages. Results Early marriage was found to be associated with worse self-rated health, a higher likelihood of having functional limitations and chronic diseases among middle-aged Indian women. Moreover, it led to the deterioration of health over the two IHDS waves, as indicated by the development of chronic diseases, functional limitations, and the worsening of self-rated health in midlife. Conclusion Early marriage predisposes women to chronic stress resulting in poorer health outcomes in midlife. Therefore, early marriage may set women on a path of lifelong health disadvantage. Implications The findings underscore the importance of examining the link between early marriage and women's health outcomes in later life in other contexts.