Abstract |
In 1965 samples of marriage registrations for the period 1961-64 were gathered in three different socioeconomic areas in Karachi, Pakistan: upper, middle and low income. That study showed Muslim families were adhering to the new minimum marriage age law, 16 for females and 18 for males. It also demonstrated that the higher the socioeconomic status of women (and men) the higher the age at first marriage. A replication of this study was done in 1981, using 1980 data in an effort to determine what changes, if any, had occurred in the intervening period. There were increases in age at marriage among women in all three socioeconomic areas, but smaller increases among men. Other variables, such as the amount of mehr (dower) committed in marriage contracts, are also examined. |