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Premarital birth, children’s sex composition and marital instability among women in sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Clifford O. Odimegwu

    (University of the Witwatersrand)

  • Joshua O. Akinyemi

    (University of the Witwatersrand
    University of Ibadan)

  • Nicole Wet

    (University of the Witwatersrand)

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) suggests that it is unlikely for marriages with children to break up, especially when the children are male. To provide new empirical evidence, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of premarital birth and sex composition of children on marital instability (divorce or separation) among ever-married women in SSA. Data from a weighted sample of 205,997 women from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 26 sub-Saharan African countries between 2011 and 2014 were analysed. Stratified by sub-region, analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression models with robust standard errors. Parity-specific logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the association between sex composition and marital instability at parities 1, 2, 3 and 4+. The percentage of women with experience of marital instability in the four sub-regions was: Western (4.6%), Central (12.0%), Eastern (10.5%) and Southern Africa (11.4%). Premarital birth was significantly associated with marital instability in Western (OR = 1.52, p

Suggested Citation

  • Clifford O. Odimegwu & Joshua O. Akinyemi & Nicole Wet, 2017. "Premarital birth, children’s sex composition and marital instability among women in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 327-346, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joprea:v:34:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s12546-017-9193-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12546-017-9193-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Tavassoli Nahid, 2021. "The Transition of Son Preference: Evidence from Southeast Asian Countries," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 43-67, June.

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