The transition to adulthood in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is increasingly
characterized by young people’s desire to form independent, nuclear households. Forming such
households requires either buying or building a dwelling or obtaining a rental unit. Policies
governing housing markets, such as rent control, and limited financing options have historically
made access to housing for young couples particularly challenging. In this paper, we examine
housing markets in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia and their impact on the timing of marriage. A
particular focus of the paper is how housing policy reforms, such as the liberalization of rental
markets in Egypt, have affected the timing of marriage. We find that Egypt’s rental reforms
accelerated marriages and led to a reversal in the trend of rising age at marriage. Jordan’s
healthy rental market has also likely facilitated marriage, while the sharply rising age at
marriage in Tunisia may be due to an inadequate supply of rental housing.