Shifting spousal age gaps in Kenya and Ghana: Does education matter?

BACKGROUNDSpousal age gaps shape fertility, gender power dynamics, and female autonomy.While global trends show a decline, sub-Saharan Africa exhibits a high spousal age gap, particularly in relationships in which men are older.Averages alone can obscure these persistent inequalities, as high spousal age gaps have implications for gender equity and fertility transitions beyond shifts in the mean.Durowaa-Boateng & Kebede: Shifting spousal age gaps in Kenya and Ghana: Does education matter?reflecting shifts in the education-specific prevalence of high-age-gap unions.In Kenya, declines were more behaviour-driven, indicating changes in partner-age selection within educational groups over time. CONCLUSIONSThe findings suggest that male education plays an important role in partner selection, complementing the well-documented effects of female education on demographic transitions. CONTRIBUTIONUnderstanding spousal age gap dynamics could inform policies aimed at improving reproductive autonomy and gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa.