Child Marriage Impede Women Empowerment

Abstract

In this article, Prof. Dr. M. Azizur Rahman argues that child marriage is a fundamental constraint to human resource development and prevents women from maturing into empowered citizens. The author highlights that while men and women perform equally in white-collar professional roles, women in many developing and least developed countries (LDCs) are still viewed primarily as non-earning family members. Using comparative data from a 2007 survey, the text illustrates that Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage (80% among surveyed women in this report) compared to countries like Pakistan (34%), Saudi Arabia (42%), and Iran (39%). The article concludes that existing laws are often not respected and that the most effective way to empower women and improve national governance is through the provision of job-oriented vocational education.