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Union breakdown in West African cities: The cases of Ouagadougou and Lomé

Author

Listed:
  • Bilampoa Gnoumou

    (Université de Ouagadougou)

Abstract

Background: Marriage remains a strong institution in Africa, but union breakdown may be frequent, particularly in urban areas. However, this issue is still little studied, especially in West Africa. Objective: I examine the trends and factors associated with divorce and separation that lead to union breakdown in two West African cities: Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Lomé in Togo. Methods: Analyses are based on marital history data from the Economic Activities, Resource- sharing and Management of Spending in Urban Households survey, collected in 2012 in Ouagadougou and Lomé. We use the Kaplan–Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazards model for descriptive and multivariate analysis, respectively. Results: The probability of union breakdown is higher in Lomé than in Ouagadougou. The celebration of the union and having a son are associated with lower risk of divorce, while infertility or low fertility and education are associated with higher risk of divorce, for men and women in both cities. Socialization in a big town is also associated with higher risk of divorce, especially for women. Conclusions: The results indicate that even if urban areas represent the ideal of modernization and social change in Africa, family and society still play an important role in union stability. Contribution: The consideration of both men and women in the analysis is an important contribution to the study of union breakdown in Africa.

Suggested Citation

  • Bilampoa Gnoumou, 2017. "Union breakdown in West African cities: The cases of Ouagadougou and Lomé," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(5), pages 101-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:37:y:2017:i:5
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.5
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew Cherlin, 2017. "Introduction to the Special Collection on Separation, Divorce, Repartnering, and Remarriage around the World," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(38), pages 1275-1296.
    2. Ann Garbett & Brienna Perelli‐Harris & Sarah Neal, 2021. "The Untold Story of 50 Years of Adolescent Fertility in West Africa: A Cohort Perspective on the Quantum, Timing, and Spacing of Adolescent Childbearing," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(1), pages 7-40, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    divorce; women; men; urban areas; Burkina Faso; Togo; West Africa; union breakdown;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

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