Marriage Timing in Sri Lanka: The Role of Modern Norms and Ideas

Modernization theory argues that a shift occurs from family to individual orientation which leads to later marriages. This study argues that in Sri Lanka modern and traditional value orientation are intertwined and that social change is not a linear process of shifts from one set of traditional norms to another modern set of norms. Findings from event history analysis reveal that family organization interests and culture remain central to the issue of marriage timing among Sri Lankan women. Sri Lanka is different from other Asian countries in that cultural norms prescribe later marriages due to poor economic and political conditions. Women have enjoyed a favorable position in terms of kinship support and educational access. Sri Lanka did not experience the economic boom of countries such as Taiwan or Korea. Modern norms and ideas are measured by variables such as preferences for nuclear households economic independence of women (interest in jobs for income or for accumulating a dowry) and marriages of choice. Other ideational measures are urbanization media exposure and school attendance. Modernization is also reflected in womens occupational experience years of education and vocational training or volunteer work. Cultural factors include ethnicity religion and sibling status. Data were obtained from surveys among 1089 women aged 18-33 years in 1989 and 1992-93 life histories and focus groups from the Kalutara district. Discrete-time hazard models are used to examine the probability of entering marriage in 6-month intervals during 1989 and 1992-93. Findings show that only 42% of women were married by 1992-93. 40% of women aged 25-29 years were unmarried. About 57% were married in 1989 and 43% married during the study period. In multivariate models only the expected arrangement of marriage and school attendance consistently predicted the timing of marriage. Women with Moor backgrounds married later and were more likely to live in urban areas and have arranged marriages. Years of schooling or work experience did not have a significant effect on marriage timing after ethnic background was accounted for.