Beyond the Minimum: The Impact of Indonesia’s Marriage Age Law on Child Marriage and Education

Adrianna Bella (), Nicole Black (), Teguh Dartanto (), Danusha Jayawardana () and Dennis Petrie
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Adrianna Bella: Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University & ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Nicole Black: Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University
Teguh Dartanto: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia
Danusha Jayawardana: Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University

No 2025-17, Working Papers from Centre for Health Economics, Monash University

Abstract: Child marriage remains a significant global issue, violating human rights and limiting development outcomes, particularly for girls. This study examines the impact of Indonesia’s first minimum marriage age (MMA) law, which in 1975 set the minimum age of marriage for girls at 16 years. The analysis relies on a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effects of the policy on child marriage and girls’ education, with specific adjustments to address non-random heaping in reported years of birth. Using data from the 2018–2021 Indonesia National Socio-economic Survey (SUSE-NAS), we find that the MMA law reduced marriages under the age of 16 by 18% and increased the age at first marriage by about five months. It also had a broader effect by delaying marriages beyond the legal threshold. The effects were stronger in regions with entrenched child-marriage norms and in urban settings. We also find evidence that the MMA policy had positive effects on educational attainment, particularly in obtaining a tertiary degree.

Keywords: Child marriage; Indonesia; non-random heaping; anticipation effect; doughnut regression discontinu (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J16 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-sea
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