Polygynous family structure and child undernutrition in Nigeria

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dc.creatorAmare, Mulubrhan
dc.creatorArndt, Channing
dc.creatorMahrt, Kristi
dc.creatorMavrotas, George
dc.date2020-03-01
dc.date2024-05-22T12:18:03Z
dc.date2024-05-22T12:18:03Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:41:45Z
dc.descriptionThere is a growing interest in the research literature in exploring how child nutrition is affected by sociocultural practices, such as polygyny. However, evaluation of the effect of polygyny on child nutrition has been hindered by the complexity of the relationship. This paper investigates the effect of polygyny on anthropometric outcomes while recognizing that unobservable household characteristics may simultaneously influence both the decision to form a polygynous union and the ability of the household to adequately nourish children. Polygyny can affect children’s nutrition through increased family size, early marriage, and the level of household investment in child health. In this paper, we apply an instrumental variable approach based on the occurrence of same sex siblings in a woman’s first two births to generate exogenous variation in polygyny. Using data from the 2008 and 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys, we find a detrimental effect of polygyny on child undernutrition, with a greater effect in poorer households and those resident in more urban locations.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/143916
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/111993
dc.languageen
dc.publisherInternational Food Policy Research Institute
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.295868
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2021.1898591
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceAmare, Mulubrhan; Arndt, Channing; Mahrt, Kristi; and Mavrotas, George. 2020. Polygynous family structure and child undernutrition in Nigeria. NSSP Working Paper 61. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133706.
dc.subjectgender
dc.subjectchild welfare
dc.subjectchild health
dc.subjecturbanization
dc.subjectmalnutrition
dc.subjectnutrition
dc.subjectvital statistics
dc.subjectfamily structure
dc.subjectmarriage
dc.titlePolygynous family structure and child undernutrition in Nigeria
dc.typeWorking Paper

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)