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Familial and socioeconomic influences on children's well-being: An examination of preschool children in Kenya

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  • Gage, Anastasia J.

Abstract

As patterns of family formation change, it is important to know how children's lives are affected by their parents' marital and socioeconomic circumstances. Using data from the 1993 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, this study shows that children of never married and formerly married mothers have significantly higher probabilities of polio dropout and acute undernutrition than those of monogamously married mothers. The number of male household members of working age greatly enhances the chances of full immunization and the nutritional status of children whose mothers were previously married. For children of never married mothers, the benefits of residing with males of working age are largely a function of ethnicity. The results also show that, although children are not disadvantaged nutritionally when their fathers have more than one wife, polygyny is associated with a higher probability of polio dropout and lower probability of full immunization than monogamy. Higher socioeconomic status is associated with a greater probability of full immunization and a lower probability of malnutrition but socioeconomic factors do not explain the effects of mothers' marital status. The findings underscore the complex realities of family interaction and the importance of the broader social context in accounting for variations in child welfare across diverse marital situations.

Suggested Citation

  • Gage, Anastasia J., 1997. "Familial and socioeconomic influences on children's well-being: An examination of preschool children in Kenya," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(12), pages 1811-1828, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:45:y:1997:i:12:p:1811-1828
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gyimah, Stephen Obeng, 2009. "Polygynous marital structure and child survivorship in sub-Saharan Africa: Some empirical evidence from Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 334-342, January.
    2. David Lawson & Mhairi A. Gibson, 2018. "Polygynous marriage and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: What is the evidence for harm?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(6), pages 177-208.
    3. Vellore Arthi & James Fenske, 2018. "Polygamy and child mortality: Historical and modern evidence from Nigeria’s Igbo," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 97-141, March.
    4. Vissého Adjiwanou & Germain Adebiyi Boco & Sanni Yaya, 2021. "Stepfather families and children's schooling in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-national study," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 44(27), pages 627-670.
    5. Laurie F. DeRose & Andrés Salazar-Arango & Paúl Corcuera García & Montserrat Gas-Aixendri & Reynaldo Rivera, 2017. "Maternal union instability and childhood mortality risk in the Global South, 2010–14," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 71(2), pages 211-228, May.
    6. Schmeer, Kammi, 2009. "Father absence due to migration and child illness in rural Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 1281-1286, October.
    7. Cassandra Cotton & Shelley Clark & Sangeetha Madhavan, 2022. "“One hand does not bring up a child:” Child fostering among single mothers in Nairobi slums," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(30), pages 865-904.
    8. Emily Smith-Greenaway & Jenny Trinitapoli, 2014. "Polygynous Contexts, Family Structure, and Infant Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 341-366, April.

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