An Analytical Study of Some Determinants of Age at Marriage of Females in Two Egyptian Villages

This study aimed mainly at identifying some of the variables affecting the age at marriage among rural women, through some sub-goals, which include recognition of the right age for marriage from the viewpoint of the respondents and age at marriage, and the relationships between each of them with some variables under study.
The study was conducted in two villages in Behira governorate, which are Psontway and Abu Kdhir in Abo Hommos district with a sample of 158 wives who represent about 25% of wives who are as young as 30 years old, 105 of them from Psontway And 53 from Abu Kdhir. Data were collected by a questionnaire through personal interview. Variety of statistical techniques were applied in data analysis and hypotheses testing.
Major findings of the study can be summarized as follows:
1- 27.2% of respondents considered the right age of marriage 14-18 years old, 65.2% of them considered it as 19-23 years old, while 7,6% thought it is  24-28 years old.
2- Results of correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between the educational level of the respondent and economic level of the family on 
the one hand, and the right age for marriage on the other hand. Results also showed negative correlation between family size and the right age for marriage.
      Results of regression analysis indicated that only variables of family size and economic level of the family had significant effect on the right age for marriage from the point of view of the respondents. They contribute to 14% of its variation.
3 - 81% of the respondents married at an age less than 20 years old, 16.5% were married at the age of 20-24 years, and only 2,5% were married at the age of 25-30 years.
4 - Results of correlation analysis showed significant relationships between each of  educational level of the respondent, right age for marriage from her point of view, educational level of the father, profession of the father, educational level of the husband, profession of the husband, and the economic level of the family on the one hand, and age at marriage on the other hand. Results also showed the existence of a negative correlation between family size and age at marriage.
Results of regression analysis showed that variables of the right age for marriage from the view point of the respondents, profession of the husband, family size and economic level of the family had a significant effect on age at marriage and contribute to 28% of its variation.