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Food Insecurity and Family Structure in Nigeria

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  • Owoo, Nkechi S.
  • Upton, Joanna
  • Bageant, Elizabeth

Abstract

The article explores a series of questions and hypotheses related to polygynous family structures and both household and individual-level food security outcomes, using the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Survey data from Nigeria, collected in 2011 and 2013. A Correlated Random Effects (CRE) model is used to examine the relationship between polygyny and household-level food security, and the degree to which it is mediated by household wealth, size, and livelihood. A Household Fixed Effect model is employed to explore whether a mother’s status as monogamous versus polygynous relates systematically to her child’s health, and also whether child outcomes of senior wives are better than outcomes of junior wives within polygynous households. We find that polygynous households have better food security outcomes than monogamous households with differences in household composition and agricultural livelihood as potential explanatory mechanisms. We also find that within polygynous households, children of junior wives have better health outcomes than children of senior wives.
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  • Owoo, Nkechi S. & Upton, Joanna & Bageant, Elizabeth, 2017. "Food Insecurity and Family Structure in Nigeria," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258469, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea17:258469
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.258469
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Olutosin A. Otekunrin & Oluwaseun A. Otekunrin & Barbara Sawicka & Piotr Pszczółkowski, 2021. "Assessing Food Insecurity and Its Drivers among Smallholder Farming Households in Rural Oyo State, Nigeria: The HFIAS Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Nkechi S. Owoo, 2021. "Demographic considerations and food security in Nigeria," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 23(1), pages 128-167, June.
    3. Maria Adam Nyangasa & Christoph Buck & Soerge Kelm & Mohammed Sheikh & Antje Hebestreit, 2019. "Exploring Food Access and Sociodemographic Correlates of Food Consumption and Food Insecurity in Zanzibari Households," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-15, May.
    4. Justin Quinton & Glenn P. Jenkins & Godwin Olasehinde-Williams, 2023. "Household Food Insecurity in Nigeria Following the 2015 Oil Price Shock and Food Import Restriction Policy," Development Discussion Papers 2023-12, JDI Executive Programs.

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    Keywords

    International Development; Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics;
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