Timing of marriage and motherhood in Kyrgyzstan: Defining or defying convention?

Background: Marriage and motherhood are events with profound significance for women. Their timing has bearing on a woman's reproductive health, her status and role in the community and future experience. In Kyrgyzstan, the timing of marriage and motherhood has fluctuated in unexpected directions. Methods: Using data from a representative household survey (the 1997 Demographic & Health Survey), we delineate birth cohort changes in timing of first marriage and first birth across geographic regions, ethnic groups, and educational and socioeconomic levels, examining how political transformation from Soviet to post-Soviet society has been reflected in women's conjugal roles and experience. Results: Soviet pro-natalist programs of the 1970s and ‘80s are not reflected in the timing of marriage and first birth among young women. During this period, women age 18-20 actually delayed marriage and motherhood by at least a year, relative to the preceding decades. The median age of first marriage and first birth rose from 19 to 20 and from 20 to 21, respectively. In the subsequent decade of the late 1980s and early 1990s, through the breakup of the Soviet Union, median age of first marriage and birth actually declined, suggesting a regression to more traditional roles for women. A diversity of timing patterns are described and determinants of such variations are explored. Conclusion: Further study of timing patterns is crucial to better elucidate how political and societal change influence marriage and fertility as well as illuminate how Kyrgyz society—including the experiences of women within it—has evolved over time.