Marriage behavior response to prime-age adult mortality: Evidence from Malawi

Mika Ueyama and Futoshi Yamauchi

No 764, IFPRI discussion papers from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: "This paper examines the effect of AIDS-related mortality of the prime-age adult population on marriage behavior among women in Malawi. A rise in prime-age adult mortality increases risks associated with the search for a marriage partner in the marriage market. A possible behavioral change in the marriage market in response to an increase in prime-age adult mortality is for marriage to occur earlier to avoid women's exposure to HIV/AIDS risks under the condition that the risks are higher during singlehood. We test this hypothesis using micro data from Malawi, where prime-age adult mortality has drastically increased. In the analysis, we estimate prime-age adult mortality that sample women have observed during the adolescent period by utilizing retrospective information on the death of their siblings. Empirical analysis shows that excess prime-age adult mortality observed in the local marriage market (district) lowers the marriage age for females and reduces their premarital sexual activities. Since a lower age for first marriage implies less schooling completed, we expect that the average schooling achievement among women would decline. This behavioral change also implies a longer reproduction period during their marriage, which may lead to a higher fertility rate. However, the second implication should be discounted if the reduction of sexual activities also applies to the married population. Lower schooling attainment among women has further implications on human capital formation in the next generation." from Author's Abstract

Keywords: impact; HIV infections; marriage; sexual behaviour; infectious diseases; Malawi; Southern Africa; Eastern Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dev, nep-hap and nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160223

Related works:
Journal Article: Marriage behavior response to prime-age adult mortality: evidence from malawi (2009)
Working Paper: Marriage behavior response to prime-age adult mortality: Evidence from Malawi (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifprid:764

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