The Role of Polygyny in the Intra-Household Efficiency of Agricultural Production in West Africa

Dauphin, Anyck

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2320017

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A key feature of this literature is an examination of the dynamics between wives. For instance, although polygamous households may be intuitively expected to be inefficient, due largely to competition between wives, the evidence is mixed: some studies reject the collective rationality of polygamous households (Dauphin et al 2015), while others affirm it (Dauphin et al 2010); yet others find their efficiency to be context-dependent (Dauphin 2013). Agarwal (1997) and Akresh et al (2012Akresh et al ( , 2016 emphasize the role of co-wife cooperation in polygamous households, where the lack of altruism in co-wife relationships leads to greater productive efficiency between co-wives than between spouses.…”

Section: Family Form and Child Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polygamy and child mortality: Historical and modern evidence from Nigeria’s Igbo

Arthi

Fenske

2016

Rev Econ Household

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We use historical and modern data on the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria to assess the relationship between polygamy and child mortality. We examine several possible channels for this correlation, and test its sensitivity to observable characteristics of individuals, households, and regions in order to infer the scope for selection on unobservables to drive the polygamy-child mortality correlation. We find a statistically significant positive relationship between polygamy and child mortality in the modern period, and a statistically insignificant positive relationship in the historical data. Although there is a limited role for polygamist-specific intrahousehold dynamics and behavioral practices in shaping the mortality of children in such households, the sensitivity of the polygamy-child mortality correlation is consistent with an important role for selection into polygamy, particularly on unobservable characteristics.

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Section: Family Form and Child Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polygamy and child mortality: Historical and modern evidence from Nigeria’s Igbo

Arthi

Fenske

2016

Rev Econ Household

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“…According to Dauphin (2016), a wife may be forced to cooperate under a husband's threat to take an additional wife if she does not. Dauphin (2016) found a negative correlation between polygyny and efficiency, as measured by agricultural production in Benin, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Other studies also find a negative relationship between polygyny and efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity and Family Structure in Nigeria

Owoo

2018

SSRN Journal

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A B S T R A C TThe article explores a series of questions and hypotheses related to polygynous family structures and both household and individual-level food security outcomes, using the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Survey data from Nigeria, collected in 2011, 2013 model is used to examine the relationship between polygyny and household-level food security, and the degree to which it is mediated by household wealth, size, and livelihood. A Household Fixed Effect model is employed to explore whether a mother's status as monogamous versus polygynous relates systematically to her child's health, and also whether child outcomes of senior wives are better than outcomes of junior wives within polygynous households. At the household level, polygynous households are found to have better food security outcomes than monogamous households with differences in household composition and agricultural livelihood as potential explanatory mechanisms. At the individual level, however, children of polygynous mothers have worse nutrition outcomes than children of monogamous mothers in the long run. Within polygynous households, children of junior wives appear to have better nutritional outcomes in the long run, compared to children of more senior wives.

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“…In Sub Saharan Africa, the major types of marriage are monogamy (the union of a man and a woman) and polygyny (the union of a man and more than one woman at a time). Though, the type of marriage sanctioned by the legal system in most Sub Saharan African countries is monogamy (Scheidel 2008;Cahu, Fall & Ponguo 2011), the practice of polygyny remains common in many parts of Africa particularly West Africa (Dauphin 2013). In many West African countries, polygyny not only remained strongly embedded in cultural practice, it has also continued to generate controversies regarding its desirability and effects on women's welfare and general well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polygyny and Resources for Empowerment and Equality in Anglo-Phone West Africa: Implications for Childbearing and Women’s Well-Being

Solanke

Kupoluyi

Abe

et al. 2018

ESJ

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In West Africa, polygyny remained a common type of marriage. However, in spite of numerous studies exploring polygyny, the relationship between polygyny and access to resources for empowerment and equality is not well-ascertained in West Africa. This study addresses this gap by raising the question: to what extent does polygyny explains access to resources for empowerment and equality among married women? Data were extracted from 2013 Demographic and Health Surveys in The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra-Leone. The outcome variable is access to resources for empowerment and equality measured by access to education, employment and barriers to accessing health care. The key explanatory variable is type of marriage with specific attention to polygyny. Multivariate multiple regression was applied using Stata 12. Results showed that polygyny was negatively associated with access to education in the studied countries; positively associated with access to employment in the studied countries; and negatively associated with access to health in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. It is important to refocus national attention to improving the capabilities of women because economic empowerment will not only improve women's well-being, it will also translate to the reduction of childbearing pressures among women. . Women's work and fertility in a sub[hyphen]Saharan Urban setting: a social environment approach.

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The Role of Polygyny in the Intra-Household Efficiency of Agricultural Production in West Africa

Cited by 7 publications

References 32 publications

Polygamy and child mortality: Historical and modern evidence from Nigeria’s Igbo

Polygamy and child mortality: Historical and modern evidence from Nigeria’s Igbo

Food Insecurity and Family Structure in Nigeria

Polygyny and Resources for Empowerment and Equality in Anglo-Phone West Africa: Implications for Childbearing and Women’s Well-Being

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