Access to Social Protection Minimum Floors as a tool to end early marriage in Mozambique

Abstract

Mozambique has the seventh highest early marriage prevalence rate in the world, notwithstanding there being a legal ban. Early marriage generally affects girls who are the least educated, poor and living in rural areas. This situation is a reflection of the gendered socialization process in Mozambique, which places girls in caregiving and reproductive roles. Recently, legal research on early marriage has gained importance in Mozambique. This article demonstrates that social protection floors (SPFs) can be a tool to empower girls. SPFs should be designed to capture substantive inequality in the household and increase protection for girls, in order to reduce early marriage rates.