early marriage which disproportionately affects young girls in some countries in the region decreases the chances that girls continue studying or engage in economic activities as they usually became responsible for home tasks and the care of children unicef the figure in this box shows that both in north and subsaharan african regions married women are more likely to be neets than unmarried women young girls are much more likely than young men to be married early and therefore look for more flexible jobs that they usually find in the informal sector