Child marriage stubbornly persists in South Asia, despite being associated with lower
education, higher fertility and mortality rates, and poor health among adolescent
mothers and their children. According to the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey
2014, 59% of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18, and 31% of girls age
15-19 had begun childbearing. The parents of child brides are frequently mischaracterized
as “ignorant” or “uncaring”, when in fact, impoverished parents are forced to make difficult
choices between what is best for their daughters and what they can afford. In Bangladesh,
as a girl ages, the dowry price her parents must pay for her marriage increases, while her
prospects of being able to afford a suitable spouse may diminish.