Education, marriage, fertility and labour market experiences of young women in Uganda: Evidence from a qualitative assessment

This paper looks at young women’s experiences in Uganda in relation to education, marriage, fertility and the labour market. Specifically, it explores the interlinkages between the transitions of school to work to motherhood and/or marriage, and its effects of women’s labour market outcomes and choices.

The paper finds that some discriminatory social norms and practices  affect the ability of young women to realise their full educational and economic capabilities. These include: a preference to educate boy children over girls, and social norms favouring child marriage and early pregnancies. They find that child marriage persists despite laws that forbid it, and that informal marriages/cohabitation are on  the rise.  Poverty is a major driver of child marriage, with girls’ marriages seen as a source of wealth for families through their ‘bride price’.

The study finds that most young women are engaged in vulnerable employment with little prospect for growth due to limited access to capital and inadequate job skills. In addition, it finds that young women with more education are more likely to move on to better jobs and employment opportunities as they arise. Still, early childbirth and marriage results in increased caring responsibilities and restricted opportunity for employment.