RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Will you marry me, later? Age-of-marriage laws and child marriage in Mexico
JF Journal of Human Resources
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1219-10621R2
DO 10.3368/jhr.58.3.1219-10621R2
A1 Bellés-Obrero, Cristina
A1 Lombardi, María
YR 2020
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/12/03/jhr.58.3.1219-10621R2.abstract
AB We examine the impact of raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old in Mexico. Using a difference-in-differences model that takes advantage of the staggered adoption of this reform across states, we find a large reduction in the number of registered child marriages. However, we find no effect on school attendance or early fertility rates. We provide evidence that this is driven by a substitution of formal marriage for informal unions. This suggests that when informal unions are a viable option for young couples, age-of-marriage reforms are not enough to prevent early unions and their negative consequences.