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Dispensing with marriage: Marital and partnership trends in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 2000-2006

Author

Listed:
  • Victoria Hosegood

    (University of Southampton)

  • Nuala McGrath

    (University of Southampton)

  • Tom Moultrie

    (University of Cape Town)

Abstract

This paper describes marriage and partnership patterns and trends in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from 2000-2006. The study is based on longitudinal, population-based data collected by the Africa Centre demographic surveillance system. We consider whether the high rates of non-marriage among Africans in South Africa reported in the 1980s were reversed following the political transformation underway by the 1990s. Our findings show that marriage has continued to decline with a small increase in cohabitation among unmarried couples, particularly in more urbanised areas. Comparing surveillance and census data, we highlight problems with the use of the ‘living together’ marital status category in a highly mobile population.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria Hosegood & Nuala McGrath & Tom Moultrie, 2009. "Dispensing with marriage: Marital and partnership trends in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 2000-2006," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(13), pages 279-312.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:20:y:2009:i:13
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.13
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ilene Speizer, 1995. "A marriage trichotomy and its applications," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 32(4), pages 533-542, November.
    2. R. Lesthaeghe & C. Jolly, 1995. "The start of the sub‐Saharan fertility transition: Some answers and many questions," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 7(1), pages 25-45, January.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Frederik Booysen & Ferdi Botha & Sevias Guvuriro, 2022. "Intermarriage on Subjective Social Status and Spousal Dissimilarity in Life Satisfaction of Co-resident Heterosexual South African Couples," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2635-2662, August.
    2. Guadalupe Aguilera & Kim Korinek, 2020. "Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(1), pages 297-322, February.
    3. Bennett, Rachel & Waterhouse, Philippa, 2018. "Work and family transitions and the self-rated health of young women in South Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 9-18.
    4. Carol S Camlin & Victoria Hosegood & Marie-Louise Newell & Nuala McGrath & Till Bärnighausen & Rachel C Snow, 2010. "Gender, Migration and HIV in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(7), pages 1-10, July.
    5. Conroy, Amy A. & McGrath, Nuala & van Rooyen, Heidi & Hosegood, Victoria & Johnson, Mallory O. & Fritz, Katherine & Marr, Alexander & Ngubane, Thulani & Darbes, Lynae A., 2016. "Power and the association with relationship quality in South African couples: Implications for HIV/AIDS interventions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 1-11.
    6. Ngwenya, Mthunzi A. & Paas, Leonard J., 2012. "Lifecycle effects on consumer financial product portfolios in South Africa: An exploratory analysis of four ethnic groups," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 8-18.
    7. Rachel E. Goldberg, 2013. "Family Instability and Pathways to Adulthood in Cape Town, South Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 39(2), pages 231-256, June.
    8. John Bongaarts & John Casterline, 2022. "Extramarital fertility in low- and middle-income countries," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(3), pages 59-72.
    9. Crankshaw, T.L. & Voce, A. & Butler, L.M. & Darbes, L., 2016. "Expanding the relationship context for couple-based HIV prevention: Elucidating women's perspectives on non-traditional sexual partnerships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 169-176.
    10. Kirsten Stoebenau & Sangeetha Madhavan & Emily Smith‐Greenaway & Heide Jackson, 2021. "Economic Inequality and Divergence in Family Formation in Sub‐Saharan Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 887-912, December.
    11. Cassandra Cotton, 2021. "An Enduring Institution? Child Fostering in Sub‐Saharan Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 1179-1206, December.
    12. Daniel Jordan Smith, 2020. "Masculinity, Money, and the Postponement of Parenthood in Nigeria," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 46(1), pages 101-120, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cohabitation; marriage; South Africa; trends; demographic surveillance system; partnerships;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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