How the Timing of Marriage for Young Men Is Affected by Their Labor Market Trajectories: Evidence from Egypt

Christine Binzel, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)
Ragui Assaad, University of Minnesota

There has been a great deal of concern in recent years about the rising age at marriage for young men in the Middle East and North Africa. Using detailed retrospective data from the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey of 2006, this paper analyzes the economic determinants of the timing of marriage for men. The key explanatory variables we examine using a discrete-time hazard model are variables that indicate the onset of first employment and the incidence and timing of a “good job,” defined in relation to a job quality index. Our findings indicate that while there is no delay in marriage if the onset of employment is delayed from 19 to 21 for a reference male, any further delay significantly delays marriage. The hazard of marrying shifts up steeply within a year of getting a good job.