Purnendu Modak
Ph.D Research Scholar
University of Calcutta
Kolkata
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the effect of girls child marriage on poor reproductive health status of mother’s and the impact of mother’s reproductive health status on well-being of their children. The District Level Household Survey-4 (2012-13) data has been applied to examine the effects of child marriage on the poor reproductive health status of mother’s and on the well-being of their children. The Bivariate analyses, multiple linear regression model and logistic regression were used in this analyses. The results show that early age at marriage had detrimental effects on the reproductive health status of women. The women married at an early age were exposed to frequent childbearing, unplanned motherhood and abortions, which negatively affected the nutritional status of their children. Moreover, children born to mothers with poor reproductive health had lower chances of being survival and a higher likelihood of anthropometric failure (i.e. stunting, wasting and underweight) among children. So, the policy level intervention should focus on to increase the age at marriage among women by strict low enforcement, providing financial incentives (girls with secondary and higher education), better health facilities, improving the nutritional status of mother and their children, to provide educational facilities and empowering women through various financial incentives and work opportunities at the grass root level in India.
Key words: Child Marriage, Reproductive Health, Wealth Index, India JEL classification: I10, I12, J15.
