Delaying age of marriage

technology, and retail trade (World Bank 2018). These sectors are also export oriented and would create good jobs that are attractive to increasingly educated women.

DELAYING AGE OF MARRIAGE

In traditional societies, the competition between the reproductive and productive roles of women is usually in favor of the former. Early marriage and early motherhood limit the chances and options available to women, and a vicious circle results in increasing fertility levels among women who too often take low-paid jobs and lack career prospects. Experience from other countries suggests the types of interventions that can delay or prevent early marriage.

Empowering girls

These interventions are aimed at empowering girls through information sharing, life-skills teaching, vocational and livelihoods skills training, mentored learning spaces to facilitate the acquisition of core academic skills, and support networks to enhance opportunities for continued schooling.

Engaging parents and communities

Efforts in this direction are essential so that an enabling environment is created and the stigma associated with delaying marriage is reduced. Interventions would aim to change social norms and reduce the pressure to marry early. Engaging with parents and communities will mitigate any potential unintended negative consequences of girls’ participation in empowering activities and programs. It is also vital to tap into existing government platforms, whether through the social units under the Ministry of Social Solidarity or the governorate offices of the national Council for Women.

Improving formal schooling and education opportunities for girls

Such improved opportunities could be achieved by preparing, training, and supporting girls for enrollment or re-enrollment in school, in addition to reforming education so that academic skills are aligned with labor market needs, creating an enabling environment for girls to stay in school.

Enforcing laws and policies

In Egypt, although early marriage is prohibited by law, the practice is still prevalent in rural areas, especially in upper Egypt. An Early Marriage Strategy 2015–2020 was designed to reduce the share of early marriages by 50 percent, focusing on geographic areas with high prevalence (Samari 2017). This strategy needs to be revised and updated, given the persistent correlation between child marriage and fertility. It is imperative to enforce existing child protection laws more rigorously and close any legal loopholes that allow families to marry off girls who are below the legal age of marriage. And unless these laws are accompanied by