Marriage of adolescent girls in Nigeria reduced by 80% by ‘big push’ intervention
Summary
The Pathways to Choice programme — a multipronged, community-focused intervention run in 18 communities in northern Nigeria — cut the probability that unmarried girls (aged 12–17 and out of school at baseline) would be married within two years from 86% in control communities to 21% in intervention communities (an ~80% reduction).
The two-year programme combined community engagement, remedial education, social support and in-kind assistance to encourage girls to return to school or vocational training. It raised girls’ school attendance by about 70 percentage points, improved social support and self-advocacy, and increased sibling enrolment (sisters +87%, brothers +41%). The authors report a benefit–cost ratio of 2.41 and estimated net returns of US$1,627 per US$1,000 invested.
Key Points
- Randomised trial in 18 communities (Kaduna, Kano, Borno) with 1,181 unmarried girls aged 12–17 not in school at baseline.
- Two-year Pathways to Choice intervention reduced marriage rates from 86% (control) to 21% (intervention) at two-year follow-up.
- Girls’ school attendance rose by ~70 percentage points; participants reported greater social support and self-efficacy.
- The programme produced spillover benefits: siblings’ school enrolment increased substantially (sisters +87%, brothers +41%).
- Economic evaluation: benefit–cost ratio 2.41 and estimated net returns of US$1,627 per US$1,000 invested, though long-term impacts require further follow-up.
Context and relevance
Globally, around 650 million women alive today were married before 18. In parts of northern Nigeria nearly 80% of girls married before 18. Early marriage harms health, education, agency and earnings, and increases risk of violence. This study shows that a well-designed, resource-intensive ‘big-push’ approach that tackles social, economic and educational barriers at once can produce large, rapid reductions in child marriage where schooling is seen as an acceptable alternative but access and costs are barriers.
Policy implications: multipronged programmes can justify higher upfront costs if they deliver sustained social and economic returns. But effects are context-sensitive — greatest where quality education is not already available and where cultural acceptance of schooling as an alternative to early marriage can be built.
Why should I read this?
Short version: this is the kind of result that stops you scrolling. If you’re into policymaking, education or gender programming — or just want to know what actually works — this paper shows a dramatic, measurable win against child marriage. It isn’t cheap, but it worked fast and produced spillovers. We’ve saved you the deep read and pulled out the bits that matter.
Author style
Punchy: the authors present a clear, evidence-backed case that comprehensive, community-level action can shift entrenched behaviours. If you’re deciding where to allocate funding or design interventions, the details here are highly relevant.
Source
Article date: 11 March 2026. Authors: Isabelle Cohen, Maryam Abubakar, Daniel Perlman.