IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/demogr/v53y2016i6d10.1007_s13524-016-0521-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Parental Divorce and Children’s Schooling in Rural Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Sophia Chae

    (Guttmacher Institute)

Abstract

A growing body of literature has examined the impact of different types of family structures on children’s schooling in sub-Saharan Africa. These studies have investigated how living arrangements, gender of the household head, parental death, and paternal migration are related to schooling. Although many sub-Saharan African countries have high divorce rates, very few studies have explored the impact of parental divorce on children’s schooling. The present study uses three waves of data from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) to investigate the effect of parental divorce on children’s schooling and the possible mechanisms driving this relationship. Unlike prior studies, this study uses child-level fixed-effects models to control for selection into divorce. Results show that parental divorce is associated with lower grade attainment and a larger schooling gap, defined as the number of years a child is behind in school (among children currently attending school). Although no association exists between parental divorce and current school attendance, girls affected by divorce are significantly less likely to be attending school. Differences in economic resources, maternal coresidence, or maternal psychological well-being do not explain the relationship between parental divorce and children’s schooling.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophia Chae, 2016. "Parental Divorce and Children’s Schooling in Rural Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 1743-1770, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:53:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0521-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0521-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13524-016-0521-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13524-016-0521-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Evans & Edward Miguel, 2007. "Orphans and schooling in africa: a longitudinal analysis," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(1), pages 35-57, February.
    2. George Psacharopoulos & Harry Anthony Patrinos, 2004. "Returns to investment in education: a further update," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 111-134.
    3. Samer Al-Samarrai & Hassan Zaman, 2007. "Abolishing School Fees in Malawi: The Impact on Education Access and Equity," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 359-375.
    4. repec:pri:cheawb:case_paxson_orphansafrica is not listed on IDEAS
    5. T. Paul Schultz, 2004. "Evidence of Returns to Schooling in Africa from Household Surveys: Monitoring and Restructuring the Market for Education," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 13(02), pages 95-148, December.
    6. Shelley Clark & Dana Hamplová, 2013. "Single Motherhood and Child Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Life Course Perspective," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(5), pages 1521-1549, October.
    7. repec:pri:rpdevs:case_paxson_orphansafrica is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Cally Ardington & Murray Leibbrandt, 2010. "Orphanhood and Schooling in South Africa: Trends in the Vulnerability of Orphans between 1993 and 2005," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(3), pages 507-536, April.
    9. Scott Lynch, 2003. "Cohort and life-course patterns in the relationship between education and health: A hierarchical approach," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 40(2), pages 309-331, May.
    10. J�rgen Carling & Marianne T�nnessen, 2013. "Fathers' whereabouts and children's welfare in Malawi," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(6), pages 724-742, December.
    11. repec:pri:cheawb:case_paxson_orphansafrica.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Barbara Mensch & Erica Soler-Hampejsek & Christine Kelly & Paul Hewett & Monica Grant, 2014. "Challenges in Measuring the Sequencing of Life Events Among Adolescents in Malawi: A Cautionary Note," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 277-285, February.
    13. Monica J. Grant & Jere R. Behrman, 2010. "Gender Gaps in Educational Attainment in Less Developed Countries," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 36(1), pages 71-89, March.
    14. Monica Grant & Sara Yeatman, 2014. "The Impact of Family Transitions on Child Fostering in Rural Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 205-228, February.
    15. Anne Case & Christina Paxson & Joseph Ableidinger, 2004. "Orphans in Africa: parental death, poverty, and school enrollment," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(3), pages 483-508, August.
    16. Carlos Oya & John Sender, 2009. "Divorced, Separated, and Widowed Women Workers in Rural Mozambique," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 1-31.
    17. Sophia Chae, 2016. "Forgotten marriages? Measuring the reliability of marriage histories," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(19), pages 525-562.
    18. Philip Anglewicz, 2012. "Migration, Marital Change, and HIV Infection in Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(1), pages 239-265, February.
    19. repec:pri:rpdevs:case_paxson_orphansafrica.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Bilampoa Gnoumou & Thomas LeGrand & Jean-François Kobiané, 2013. "Effects of Parental Union Dissolution on Child Mortality and Child Schooling in Burkina Faso," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(29), pages 797-816.
    21. Georges Reniers, 2003. "Divorce and Remarriage in Rural Malawi," Demographic Research Special Collections, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 1(6), pages 175-206.
    22. Anne Case & Cally Ardington, 2006. "The impact of parental death on school outcomes: Longitudinal evidence from South Africa," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(3), pages 401-420, August.
    23. Georges Reniers, 2008. "Marital strategies for regulating exposure to HIV," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(2), pages 417-438, May.
    24. Kathleen Beegle & Joachim Weerdt & Stefan Dercon, 2010. "Orphanhood and human capital destruction: Is there persistence into adulthood?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(1), pages 163-180, February.
    25. Sonalde Desai & Soumya Alva, 1998. "Maternal education and child health: Is there a strong causal relationship?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 35(1), pages 71-81, February.
    26. Smith, Kirsten P. & Watkins, Susan Cotts, 2005. "Perceptions of risk and strategies for prevention: responses to HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 649-660, February.
    27. Bicego, George T. & Ties Boerma, J., 1993. "Maternal education and child survival: A comparative study of survey data from 17 countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 1207-1227, May.
    28. Elo, Irma T. & Preston, Samuel H., 1996. "Educational differentials in mortality: United States, 1979-1985," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 47-57, January.
    29. Shelley Clark & Sarah Brauner-Otto, 2015. "Divorce in sub-Saharan Africa: Are Unions Becoming Less Stable?," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 583-605, December.
    30. Marianne E. Page & Ann Huff Stevens, 2004. "The Economic Consequences of Absent Parents," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(1).
    31. Hans-Peter Kohler & Jere Behrman & Susan Watkins, 2007. "Social networks and HIV/AIDS risk perceptions," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(1), pages 1-33, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Guirkinger, Catherine & Gross, Jérémie & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 2021. "Are women emancipating? Evidence from marriage, divorce and remarriage in Rural Northern Burkina Faso☆," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    3. Crespin-Boucaud, Juliette & Hotte, Rozenn, 2021. "Parental divorces and children’s educational outcomes in Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    4. Martin Mwale & Dieter von Fintel & Anja Smith, 2022. "School drop out and farm input subsidies: gender and kinship heterogeneity in Malawi," Working Papers 01/2022, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    5. Carolyn B. Reyes & Heather Randell, 2023. "Household Shocks and Adolescent Well-Being in Peru," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(3), pages 1-22, June.
    6. Marisa Bucheli & Andrea Vigorito, 2023. "Short‐ and Medium‐Term Effects of Parental Separation on Children's Well‐Being: Evidence from Uruguay," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 49(2), pages 351-377, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Emily Smith-Greenaway, 2020. "Does Parents’ Union Instability Disrupt Intergenerational Advantage? An Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 445-473, April.
    2. Lauren Gaydosh, 2015. "Childhood Risk of Parental Absence in Tanzania," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1121-1146, August.
    3. Monica Grant & Sara Yeatman, 2014. "The Impact of Family Transitions on Child Fostering in Rural Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 205-228, February.
    4. Guirkinger, Catherine & Gross, Jérémie & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 2021. "Are women emancipating? Evidence from marriage, divorce and remarriage in Rural Northern Burkina Faso☆," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    5. 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.
    6. Djuikom, Marie Albertine & van de Walle, Dominique, 2022. "Marital status and women’s nutrition in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    7. Rachel Goldberg, 2013. "Family Instability and Early Initiation of Sexual Activity in Western Kenya," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(2), pages 725-750, April.
    8. Anglewicz, Philip & Clark, Shelley, 2013. "The effect of marriage and HIV risks on condom use acceptability in rural Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 29-40.
    9. Crespin-Boucaud, Juliette & Hotte, Rozenn, 2021. "Parental divorces and children’s educational outcomes in Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Jean-Noël Senne, 2014. "Death and schooling decisions over the short and long run in rural Madagascar," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 27(2), pages 497-528, April.
    11. Hagen, Jens & Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Trofimenko, Natalia, 2010. "Orphanhood and Critical Periods in Children's Human Capital Formation: Long-Run Evidence from North-Western Tanzania," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010 33, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    12. Ava Cas & Elizabeth Frankenberg & Wayan Suriastini & Duncan Thomas, 2014. "The Impact of Parental Death on Child Well-being: Evidence From the Indian Ocean Tsunami," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(2), pages 437-457, April.
    13. De Vreyer, Philippe & Nilsson, Björn, 2019. "When solidarity fails: Heterogeneous effects on children from adult deaths in Senegalese households," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 73-94.
    14. 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.
    15. Rachel Goldberg & Susan Short, 2012. "“The Luggage that isn’t Theirs is Too Heavy…”: Understandings of Orphan Disadvantage in Lesotho," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(1), pages 67-83, February.
    16. Cally Ardington & Murray Leibbrandt, 2010. "Orphanhood and Schooling in South Africa: Trends in the Vulnerability of Orphans between 1993 and 2005," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(3), pages 507-536, April.
    17. Katja Coneus & Andrea Mühlenweg & Holger Stichnoth, 2014. "Orphans at risk in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence on educational and health outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 641-662, December.
    18. Jenny Trinitapoli & Sara Yeatman & Jasmine Fledderjohann, 2014. "Sibling support and the educational prospects of young adults in Malawi," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(19), pages 547-578.
    19. Monica J. Grant, 2008. "Children’s school participation and HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi:," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(45), pages 1603-1634.
    20. Villar, Paola, 2021. "Paternal mortality, early marriages, and marital trajectories in Senegal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:53:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0521-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.