Watta Satta: Bride Exchange and Women's Welfare in Rural Pakistan

Hanan Jacoby and Ghazala Mansuri ()

American Economic Review, 2010, vol. 100, issue 4, 1804-25

Abstract: Can marriage institutions limit marital inefficiency? We study the pervasive custom of watta satta in rural Pakistan, a bride exchange between families coupled with a mutual threat of retaliation. Watta satta can be seen as a mechanism for coordinating the actions of two sets of parents, each wishing to restrain their son-in-law. We find that marital discord, as measured by estrangement, domestic abuse, and wife's mental health, is indeed significantly lower in watta satta versus "conventional" marriage, but only after accounting for selection bias. These benefits cannot be explained by endogamy, a marriage pattern associated with watta satta. (JEL J12, J16, O15, O18, Z13)

JEL-codes: J12 J16 O15 O18 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.4.1804
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Working Paper: Watta satta: bride exchange and women's welfare in rural Pakistan (2007)
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