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Divorced, Separated, and Widowed Women Workers in Rural Mozambique

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  • Carlos Oya
  • John Sender

Abstract

A remarkably high proportion of women wage workers in rural Mozambique are divorced, separated, or widowed. This paper explores the factors underlying the difference between the marital status of these wage workers and other rural women in Mozambique and establishes a strong relationship between labor-market participation and female divorce or widowhood. The association is likely to work in both directions. Moreover, contrastive exploration suggests that divorced and separated women differ from partnered women in many other important respects: they tend to have access to better jobs, and divorced and separated mothers are also remarkably good at investing in their daughters' education compared with other mothers and male respondents. This paper concludes by stressing the limits of regression techniques in teasing out causation and interactions between variables, and by suggesting that policies to increase women's access to decently paid wage employment could make a substantial difference to the welfare of very poor rural sub-Saharan African women and their children.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:15:y:2009:i:2:p:1-31
    DOI: 10.1080/13545700902729516
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. John Sender & Christopher Cramer & Carlos Oya, 2005. "Unequal Prospects: Disparities In The Quantity And Quality Of Labour Supply In Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 145, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.
    2. Mather, David & Donovan, Cynthia & Weber, Michael T. & de Marrule, Higino Francisco & Alage, Albertina, 2004. "Household Responses to Prime Age Adult Mortality in Rural Mozambique: Implications for HIV/AIDS Mitigation Efforts and Rural Economic Development Policies," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 56060, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    3. Joyce J. Chen, 2005. "Dads, Disease and Death: Decomposing Daughter Discrimination," CID Working Papers 8, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    4. Benfica, Rui M.S. & Zandamela, Julieta & Miguel, Arlindo & de Sousa, Natercia, 2005. "The Economics of Smallholder Households in Tobacco and Cotton Growing Areas of the Zambezi Valley of Mozambique," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 56064, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ayala Wineman, 2019. "Women’s welfare and livelihoods outside of marriage: evidence from rural Tanzania," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 993-1024, September.
    2. Oya, Carlos., 2010. "Rural inequality, wage employment and labour market formation in Africa : historical and micro-level evidence," ILO Working Papers 994582213402676, International Labour Organization.
    3. 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.
    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. Kevin Deane & Sara Stevano & Deborah Johnston, 2019. "Employers’ responses to the HIV epidemic in sub‐Saharan Africa: Revisiting the evidence," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 37(2), pages 245-259, March.
    6. Pauline DIBBEN & Geoffrey WOOD & Colin C. WILLIAMS, 2015. "Pressures towards and against formalization: Regulation and informal employment in Mozambique," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 154(3), pages 373-392, September.
    7. repec:ilo:ilowps:464524 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Rizzo, Matteo., 2011. "Rural wage employment in Rwanda and Ethiopia : a review of the current policy neglect and a framework to begin addressing it," ILO Working Papers 994645243402676, International Labour Organization.
    9. Lauren Gaydosh, 2015. "Childhood Risk of Parental Absence in Tanzania," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1121-1146, August.
    10. repec:ilo:ilowps:458221 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. 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.

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