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Original Research
PAGE NO.
125-128
10.37547/tajssei/Volume07Issue02-13
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
24 December 2024
ACCEPTED
26 January 2025
PUBLISHED
28 February 2025
VOLUME
Vol.07 Issue 02 2025
CITATION
Zebuniso Amanaullaevna Saidova. (2025). Marriage and its dynamics in
central Asia (19th-20th century). The American Journal of Social Science
and Education Innovations, 7(02), 125
–
128.
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/Volume07Issue02-13
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Marriage and its dynamics
in central Asia (19th-20th
century)
Zebuniso Amanaullaevna Saidova
Lecturer at the Department of Economic and Social Geography, Faculty of
Geography and Geoinformation Systems, National University of
Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article examines the historical and socio-
economic factors shaping marriage age and birth rates
in Uzbekistan from the 19th to 20th century. It explores
early marriage traditions, the impact of 20th-century
reforms, and shifting trends due to urbanization and
economic changes. Special focus is given to the post-
1991 period, where economic transitions, education,
and contraception contributed to declining birth rates.
The study highlights how cultural norms, policies, and
economic conditions have influenced demographic
trends over time.
Keywords:
Marriage age, demographic trends, birth
rate, urbanization, economic transition, reproductive
behavior.
Introduction:
1.
Marriage Age in Central Asia Before the 20th
Century
2.
The Influence of Social and Political Life on the
Marriage Age in the Early 20th Century
3.
The Impact of Marriage on Birth Rates
1. Marriage Age in Central Asia Before the 20th
Century
Marriage, divorce, birth, and mortality are the key
demographic processes. While marriage and birth rates
positively affect the gender and age structure of the
population, divorce and mortality affect them
negatively. Marriage is one of the factors directly
influencing the age composition of a population. It is a
socio-demographic process influenced by social,
economic, and demographic factors. Marriage statistics
in Uzbekistan have been recorded since the late 19th
century. According to scientific sources, in ancient
times, women in Uzbekistan married at a very young age
The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations
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The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations
(14
–
16 years).
In ancient Central Asia, early marriages among girls
were common. For instance, nearly 49% of girls aged
15-16 and 75% of girls aged 17-19 were married. Cases
of early marriages have also been noted in various
studies conducted in Uzbekistan. The marriage age was
determined by Sharia law, according to which a girl
reached adulthood at 9 years old, while a boy reached
adulthood at 12 years old.
2. The Influence of Social and Political Life on the
Marriage Age in the Early 20th Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, changes in the
social and political life of the republic led to an increase
in the marriage age for girls.
Table 1
Distribution of Women Married in Uzbekistan by Age Group (1940 -
1994) (in percentages) *
Age
Group
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
1991
2000
Tot al
Marri ed
Women
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Under
18
0.1
0.1
0.1
4.0
5.4
7.6
8.6
12.5
18-19
45.6
23.5
17.1
34.4
--
32.0
34.1
35.8
20-24
24.8
34.3
33.6
39.2
--
46.0
44.5
39.9
25-29
14.0
15.0
15.0
7.5
7.7
8.0
7.3
6.2
30 years
and
older
15.5
27.1
34.2
14.9
6.2
6.4
5.5
5.6
*
M.R. Burieva, Ўзбекистонда оила демографияси. (Family Demography in Uzbekistan), Tashkent, 1997.
The absolute number of marriages in Uzbekistan
steadily increased in both urban and rural areas.
However, this process did not always occur at the same
rate. For example, between 1940 and 1960, the
absolute number of marriages increased 2.3 times. The
highest marriage rate occurred between 1950-1960
when, on average, 5,011 people or over 5,000 families
married each year. Between 1960 and 1970, the
number of marriages in the republic slightly decreased
compared to 1960. Children born in the 1940s and
1945-1950 would have reached adulthood and
marriage age in the 1970s. However, due to the war,
the birth rate in Uzbekistan significantly declined,
leading to a lower number of marriages in the 1970s.
In contrast, in urban areas, marriage rates increased.
Between 1960 and 1970, the number of marriages rose
from 37,000 to 40,300. This was mainly due to the
establishment of many new cities, the overall increase
in the urban population, and the migration of young
people from rural areas to cities for work and
education.
Between 1970 and 1991, the number of marriages in
the republic increased 2.5 times. This was largely due
to the growing proportion of young people reaching
marriage age.
Since 1991, there has been a new trend of declining
marriage rates in the republic. This decline is linked both
to the decreasing proportion of young people of
marriageable age and to socio-economic problems
during this period.
3. The Impact of Marriage on Birth Rates
According to scientific sources, the total birth rate in
Uzbekistan was 45-50 children per 1,000 people.
This high birth rate was due to various socio-economic
factors, including labor relations, low urbanization
levels, the role of women in society, traditions
supporting large families, Islamic beliefs, and high
mortality rates, especially among women and children.
Since 1991, Uzbekistan has undergone economic
changes, particularly the introduction of market
relations across all sectors. Birth rates in the republic
began to gradually decline from the mid-20th century.
The reasons for this decline include changes in labor
relations, increased participation of women in social
production, higher levels of education and awareness,
advancements in medicine, widespread availability of
contraception
and
knowledge
about
it,
and
urbanization.
The introduction of new economic conditions in
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The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations
Uzbekistan since 1991, particularly the transition to a
market economy, has significantly altered the
country's socio-economic environment. Changes in
economic relations in the country and among the
population have had a significant impact on the
widespread use of medical contraceptives and
awareness about them, particularly regarding
reproductive health (attitudes toward the number of
children in a family). In Uzbekistan, the birth rate of fifth,
sixth, seventh, and subsequent children sharply
declined.
Since 1991, socio-economic transformations in the
country have contributed to declining birth rates in both
urban and rural regions.
Table 2
Dynamics of Birth Rate in Urban and Rural Areas of Uzbekistan
*
Year
Total Birth Rate
Special Birth Rate
Urban
Population
Rural
Population
Urban
Population
Rural
Population
1991
26.7
39.8
107.66
178.18
1992
25.7
38.0
103.17
169.64
1993
23.9
36.1
95.30
161.38
1994
23.2
33.3
91.54
145.59
1995
23.8
33.5
92.85
144.24
1996
22.2
30.5
86.02
129.65
1997
20.8
28.4
79.70
118.98
1998
19.0
25.5
72.20
105.22
1999
18.5
24.7
69.28
100.07
2000
17.7
23.5
65.67
93.60
2001
17.1
22.4
62.77
87.77
2002
17.4
23.1
63.13
88.62
2003
16.5
21.7
59.35
81.96
*
Demographic Yearbook, M.1990, p. 310; Demographic
Yearbook of Uzbekistan, 2003, Tashkent -2004, pp. 127, 149.
According to sources, before the 1990s, Uzbekistan
was among the countries with high birth rates.
Between 1985 and 1989, the total fertility rate in
Uzbekistan was 4.70. By 2003, this figure had dropped
to 2.36. It should be noted that the decline in birth
rates accelerated in the late 20th and early 21st
centuries. Women born between 1900 and 1929 had
an average of 9-10 children, whereas those born
between 1930 and 1939 had 6-7 children. Among rural
women born between 1940 and 1949, 38.2% had 7-10
children, while for those born between 1940 and 1944,
the figure was 28.6%. Most women born between
1950 and 1960 had 4-5 children. Uzbek women born
between 1970 and 1984 now consider 2-3 children per
family to be acceptable.
Overall, between 1991 and 2003, there was a sharp
decline in birth rates in both urban and rural areas of
Uzbekistan. The previous disparity between urban and
rural birth rates has significantly narrowed due to the
rapid decline in birth rates among rural populations.
According to demographic criteria, the birth rate in all
rural areas of Uzbekistan can be classified as moderate
(2.1-4.0).
Several factors contributed to the sharp decline in birth
rates in Uzbekistan between 1991 and 1999, including
economic difficulties associated with the transition to a
market economy, employment challenges, and the
widespread availability of medical contraceptives.
Under the influence of these factors, the reproductive
behavior (attitude toward childbirth) of the population
changed drastically. Each family regulated the number
of children based on its economic capacity, and this
trend could be observed across all regions of
Uzbekistan.
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The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations
128
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajssei
The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations
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