Sharing the Burden of Parental Death: Intrafamily Effects of HIV/AIDS Orphans on Fertility and Child Quality

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of orphan supply in family networks through parental death on fertility and the quality of children of surviving adults using data from Malawi. To address the potential problem of joint determination of both fertility and mortality, we exploit differences between the patrilineal and matrilineal lineage systems in the composition of family networks and in the structure of contingent obligations. Comparing mortality effects in the matrilineal and patrilineal lineage systems, we find that supply of young orphans in family networks significantly reduces demand for children by surviving adults and raises the quality of their biological children. We do not find any effect when adult mortality does not generate orphans, suggesting that the estimates are indeed orphan effects. Our results from Malawi, a country with moderately high rates of HIV/AIDS incidence, suggest that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa may reduce fertility through adoptive care of AIDS orphans in extended family networks.

A Lasting Effect of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Orphans and Pro-Social Behavior

“…Investments by one's family is an important mechanism for social capital development. As the main source of economic and social welfare, the family is the primary builder of social capital (Taiwo, 2012 (Cho et al, 2011;Sherr et al, 2016). The adverse effects living as an orphan has on social and psychological development, particularly among those orphaned by HIV/AIDS, is well documented (Nielsen et al, 2004;Cluver and Gardner, 2006;Desmond et al, 2014;Sherr et al, 2014;Stein et al, 2014).…”

Child Fostering and the Question of Child Labour in Northern Ghana's Alleged Witches' Camps

“…Even though many studies have been undertaken on child fostering, including its effects on children's educational outcomes (Marazyan, 2015), household decision making and in the determination of household fertility (Asuman et al, 2018) and health (Taiwo, 2012), there are a few studies which focus on the consequences of fostering on child labour, and especially within the perspective of international human rights laws. This article focuses on child fostering (in the context of the controversial and much-debated alleged witches' settlements), child labour and human rights.…”