1. Marriage behavior response to prime-age adult mortality: evidence from Malawi
- Author
-
Ueyama, Mika and Yamauchi, Futoshi
- Subjects
Marriage -- Demographic aspects ,Marriage -- Psychological aspects ,AIDS (Disease) -- Demographic aspects ,AIDS (Disease) -- Surveys ,AIDS (Disease) -- Influence ,Mortality -- Malawi ,Mortality -- Demographic aspects ,Women's studies ,Family and marriage ,Sociology and social work - Abstract
This article 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 to marry earlier to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS risks. We test this hypothesis by using micro data from Malawi, where prime-age adult mortality has drastically increased. In the analysis, we estimate the probability of prime-age adult mortality that sample women have observed during their adolescent period by utilizing retrospective information on deaths of their siblings. Empirical analysis shows that excess prime-age adult mortality in the local marriage market lowers the marriage age for females and shortens the interval between the first sex and first marriage.
- Published
- 2009