Sons as Widowhood Insurance: Evidence from Senegal

Sylvie Lambert and Pauline Rossi

No 2014-04, Working Papers from Center for Research in Economics and Statistics

Abstract: Exploiting original data from a Senegalese household survey, we provide evidence that fertility choices are partly driven by women's needs for widowhood insurance. We use a duration model of birth intervals to show that women most exposed to the risk of widowhood intensify their fertility until they get a son. Insurance through sons entails substantial health costs : short birth spacing raises maternal and infant mortality rates

Keywords: Intra-household insurance; Gender; Fertility; Health; Senegal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 I15 J13 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 62
Date: 2014-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr and nep-dev
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Sons as widowhood insurance: Evidence from Senegal (2016)
Working Paper: Sons as widowhood insurance: Evidence from Senegal (2016)
Working Paper: Sons as widowhood insurance: Evidence from Senegal (2016)
Working Paper: Sons as Widowhood Insurance: Evidence from Senegal (2015)
Working Paper: Sons as Widowhood Insurance: Evidence from Senegal (2015)
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