Education & Matrimony

How does education affect personal involvement in spouse selection?

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Answer

Direct answer

Education is strongly associated with reported involvement, although it does not prove that schooling alone caused the difference. In the 2017–18 Pakistan DHS, about 74.8% of women with no education reported having a say in choosing their husband, compared with roughly 92% among women with higher education. A regional mixed-method study of 500 educated women in Malakand also linked education with greater mate-selection agency and attention to compatibility. Household income, urban residence, age at marriage and family norms may contribute to the same pattern.

74.8% → ≈92%reported say from no education to higher education, PDHS 2017–18
Evidence

Sources used

National Survey · 2019

Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18

National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program

National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View source
Academic Research · 2024

Education and mate-selection agency among educated women in Malakand Division

PubMed-indexed research

Mixed-method regional study using 30 interviews and a questionnaire completed by 500 educated women.View source
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