On the Timing of Marriage, Cattle, and Weather Shocks in Rural Zimbabwe

Hoogeveen, Johannes ; Van der Klaauw, Bas ; Van Lomwel, Gijsbert

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AGING;    AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION;    ANIMALS;    BIRTH RATE;    CATTLE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-3112
RP-ID  :  WPS3112

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The authors focus on the timing ofmarriages of women in rural Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean marriagesare associated with bride welath payments, which aretransfers from (the family of) the groom to the bride'sfamily. Unmarried daughters could therefore be consideredassets who, at time of need, can be cashed in. The authorsinvestigate to what extent the timing of a marriage of adaughter is affected by the economic conditions of thehousehold from which she originates. They distinguishhousehold-specific wealth levels and two types ofshocks--correlated (weather) shocks and idiosyncraticshocks. The authors estimate a duration model using a uniquepanel survey of Zimbabwean smallholder farmers. Theestimation results support the hypothesis that the timing ofmarriage is affected by household characteristics. Girlsfrom households that experiences a negative (idiosyncratic)shock in their assets are more likely to marry.