Modelling Age at First Marriage among Ghanaians in Urban Southern Ghana

Abstract

The paper obtains models for determining age at first marriage (AFM) among Ghanaians in urban southern Ghana. Logistic regression models are developed for determining marriage under various circumstances and socio-economic changes that are necessitated by marriage. It also determines distributions that fit AFM and intended age of marriage (IAM) among various sub-populations in the study area. Generally, the distribution fit of AFM for males and females are Frechet and Cauchy, respectively, with corresponding expected ages of 30.8 and 28.0. Distributions have also been determined for IAM for males and females. It is found that both sexes have almost the same average IAM of about 27.5 years but with different distributions. Thus, respondents generally experience delayed marriages. The results show that in all models, one’s religion is an overriding predictor of marrying under various circumstances. Other variables that are influential regarding issues of marriage are gender, level of extended responsibility, and level of education. One may therefore be guided in these variables in order to achieve the desired AFM.

Keywords: Age at First Marriage, Intended Age of Marriage