ACROSS Africa, many girls enter unions before they are physically, emotionally or economically ready.
Preventing early and forced marriage is not only about protecting rights; it is about protecting lives, strengthening families and securing economic futures for families, communities and the nation.
What the evidence shows
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission’s National Inquiry in 2024 confirmed that early and forced unions occur across different social groups. The inquiry found that:
lHalf of girls who entered early marriage did so during late adolescence. This is a critical period for making decisions about the future.
lMany unions occurred after pregnancy or due to economic pressure from families.
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lSocial norms continued to treat menstruation as a sign of readiness for marriage, despite the legal definition of a child as under 18.
Globally, the scale of early unions in late adolescence is significant. According to Unicef:
lAbout 12 million girls marry before age 18 each year.
lNearly one in five young women (20-24 years) were married before 18.
lUnicef further estimates that about 115 million boys and men worldwide were married before age 18, though at much lower rates than girls.
lA large proportion of these marriages occur in late adolescence (15-17 years); a critical period when children should be completing secondary education.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 35-40% of young women aged 20-24 were married or in union before age 18, making the region one of the most affected globally.
According to the UNFPA, 260 000 women died worldwide from pregnancy and childbirth complications in 2023; about 712 deaths everyday or one woman every two minutes.
WHO indicates that each year, about 178 000 women die in the African region from pregnancy-related causes.
Why it makes economic sense to delay marriage
The strongest evidence comes from the World Bank’s Economic Impacts of Child Marriage study which shows that:
lEach additional year of secondary education for a girl increases her future earnings by 10%-20%.
lWomen who marry after 18 are significantly more likely to work in paid employment.
lEnding early marriage globally could generate more than US$500 billion annually in economic benefits by 2030 through increased productivity and reduced population growth pressures.
Education delays first birth, improves health and allows young women to acquire skills for formal or higher-value employment.
The lifetime earnings’ advantage
Research consistently shows that women who complete secondary or tertiary education:
lEarn up to twice as much over their lifetime compared to those with only primary education.
lAre more likely to enter professional, skilled or entrepreneurial work.
lHave smaller, healthier families; reducing household financial strain.
For a rural family, choosing education over early and forced marriage for their daughter brings tangible long-term security that far outweighs any short-term financial relief.
An educated daughter is more likely to secure formal employment, start a small business or access vocational opportunities that bring regular income into the household.
Studies by the World Bank show that each additional year of secondary education increases a girl’s future earnings and that educated women are more likely to support their parents through farm investments or household improvements.
Education also delays early pregnancy, reducing costly health complications and the economic burden of caring for a young mother and child.
Over time, educated children contribute to improved agricultural productivity through better financial management, access to extension services and even adoption of new farming practices.
For rural households, this means greater food security, more stable income, stronger resilience to drought or economic shocks and long-term support in old age.
This makes education not a loss, but one of the most reliable family investments.
Family decisions shape lifetimes
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission inquiry highlights a key reality:
“I know that early marriages are not acceptable but when dealing with such cases within my family I have to analyse the context as well as take a collective decision with other family members.”
This shows that early and forced marriage is often a family decision, not simply a community or cultural or religious practice.
A call to families: Delaying premature unions makes families prosper
Every family faces difficult economic pressures. But early and forced marriage is not a solution.
It is a pathway to lifelong poverty, health risks and lost potential for both girls and boys.
Families, relatives and guardians must, therefore, act together:
Protect girls and boys in late adolescence. Keep them in school. Support their education. Delay marriage. Opt for education support instead of marriage.
When a daughter finishes school, she does not become a burden, she becomes an asset.
When a young man completes his education, he becomes a provider with dignity.
Strong families are built not on early unions, but on educated, healthy and economically empowered young adults.
Let every family make this commitment: “the children within our family circle will be safe, supported and given time to grow before marriage. Their future prosperity is our family’s, community’s and even nation’s prosperity.”