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How marriages based on bride capture differ: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

Author

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  • Susan Steiner

    (Center for Evaluation and Development)

  • Charles M. Becker

    (Duke University)

Abstract

Background: A significant proportion of women in the Kyrgyz Republic marry via ala kachuu, generally translated as bride capture or kidnapping. Many regard this practice as harmless elopement or a tradition; others perceive it as a form of forced marriage. Objective: This paper contributes to the understanding of ala kachuu by exploring the extent to which couples in these marriages differ from those in arranged or love marriages. Methods: We use the 2013 wave of the Life in Kyrgyzstan survey to compute profile similarity indices for the personality of couples. We then regress marriage type on the profile similarity index, controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Couples in marriages resulting from bride capture are far less assortatively matched on personality traits than other couples, especially those who have only recently married. Conclusions: This greater dissimilarity is consistent with ala kachuu being forced marriage rather than merely staged or ritualized elopement. Contribution: This paper provides a novel source of evidence on the possible nonconsensual nature of bride capture in Kyrgyzstan, adding further weight to those arguing that it is forced.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Steiner & Charles M. Becker, 2019. "How marriages based on bride capture differ: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(20), pages 579-592.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:41:y:2019:i:20
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.41.20
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brück, Tilman & Esenaliev, Damir & Kroeger, Antje & Kudebayeva, Alma & Mirkasimov, Bakhrom & Steiner, Susan, 2014. "Household survey data for research on well-being and behavior in Central Asia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 819-835.
    2. Charles M. Becker & Bakhrom Mirkasimov & Susan Steiner, 2017. "Forced Marriage and Birth Outcomes," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(4), pages 1401-1423, August.
    3. Lesia Nedoluzhko & Victor Agadjanian, 2015. "Between Tradition and Modernity: Marriage Dynamics in Kyrgyzstan," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 861-882, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ekaterina Chicherina, 2022. "Construction of Girls’ Educational Projects in Kyrgyzstan from the Intergenerational Perspective," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1233-1254, August.
    2. Siwan Anderson & Chris Bidner, 2021. "An Institutional Perspective on the Economics of the Family," Discussion Papers dp21-14, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University.
    3. Zachary Porreca, 2025. "Bride kidnapping and informal governance institutions," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 43(2), pages 362-383, April.
    4. Bazarkulova, Dana & Compton, Janice, 2021. "Marriage traditions and investment in education: The case of bride kidnapping," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 147-163.

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    JEL classification:

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

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