Lasting Welfare Effects of Widowhood in a Poor Country

Little is known about the situation facing widows and their dependent children in West Africa especially after the widow remarries. Women in Malian society are vulnerable to the loss of husbands especially in rural areas. Households headed by widow...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	van de Walle, Dominique
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT ACCESS TO HEALTH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ADULT MEN ADULT WOMEN ADULTS AGE AT MARRIAGE AGE DISTRIBUTION AGE OF MARRIAGE AGED ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES AUTONOMY BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE BULLETIN CASH CROP CASH CROPS CHILD CARE CHRONIC POVERTY CIRCUMCISION CITIZENSHIP COMMISSION ON POPULATION COMPLICATIONS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK CONTROL OVER RESOURCES CULTURAL CHANGE CULTURES CUSTOMARY LAW CUSTOMARY PRACTICES DEAD HUSBAND DECEASED HUSBAND DEMOGRAPHY DEPENDENT CHILDREN DESCENT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIVORCE DIVORCED WOMEN DIVORCES ECONOMIC RESOURCES ECONOMIC STATUS ELDERLY ELDERLY WOMEN EMPOWERMENT EPIDEMIC EQUALITY ETHNIC GROUP ETHNIC GROUPS ETHNICITY EXTENDED FAMILY FAMILIES FAMILY LABOR FAMILY LAW FAMILY PROPERTY FAMILY STRUCTURE FATHERS FEMALE FEMALE HEAD FEMALE HEADED HOUSEHOLDS FEMALE HEADS FERTILITY FEWER YEARS OF EDUCATION FIRST MARRIAGE FOOD SECURITY GENDER GENDER ACTION GENDER DIFFERENCES GENDER GAP GENDER GAPS GENDER RELATIONS GENDER SENSITIVE GIRLS HEADS OF HOUSEHOLDS HEALTH CARE HEALTH RISKS HIV HOME HOUSEHOLD ASSETS HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HOUSES HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS IDENTITY ILLITERACY ILLNESS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS INDIVIDUAL WELFARE INEQUALITY INFANT INFANT MORTALITY INFORMAL NETWORKS INFORMATION ON WOMEN INHERITANCE INSURANCE INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE LABOR MARKET LABOR SUPPLY LAND TENURE LAWS LEGAL CHANGES LEGAL PROTECTION LEGAL REFORMS LEVELS OF EDUCATION LIVE BIRTHS LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES LIVING STANDARDS MALE MIGRANTS MALNOURISHED CHILDREN MARITAL STATUS MARITAL STATUSES MARRIAGES MARRIED WOMAN MARRIED WOMEN MATERNAL MORTALITY MIGRANT MIGRANTS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MOTHER MOTHERS NUTRITION OLD AGE OLD-AGE OLDER HUSBANDS OLDER MEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN ORPHANS PARENTAL CONSENT PARENTS PENSION PENSIONS POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLYGAMY POOR WOMEN POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION PRESSURES POWER PREGNANT WOMEN PRIMARY SCHOOL PRODUCTIVITY PROGRESS PROPORTION OF WOMEN PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC SERVICES REMITTANCES REPRODUCTION RESIDENCE RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESPECT RIGHTS OF WOMEN RITES RITUALS RURAL AREAS RURAL HOUSEHOLDS RURAL WOMEN SAFETY NET SAFETY NETS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE SECONDARY SCHOOL SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL SEXES SINGLE WOMEN SITUATION OF WOMEN SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL WELFARE SOCIETIES SOCIETY SPOUSE SPOUSES TEMPORARY MIGRATION TRADITIONAL LAW UNIONS URBAN AREAS URBAN WOMEN VICTIMS VULNERABILITY VULNERABLE GROUPS WIDOW WIDOWERS WIDOWS WIFE WILL WIVES WOMAN WOMEN WITH CHILDREN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM YOUNG AGE YOUNG AGES YOUNG WOMEN
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110726083254 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3498

Description
Summary:	Little is known about the situation facing widows and their dependent children in West Africa especially after the widow remarries. Women in Malian society are vulnerable to the loss of husbands especially in rural areas. Households headed by widows have significantly lower living standards on average than male or other female headed households in both rural and urban areas; this holds both unconditionally and conditional on observable household and individual characteristics including age. Furthermore, the adverse welfare effects of widowhood appear to persist even after widows are absorbed into male headed households. An examination of individual measures of well-being further reveals that, relative to other women, worse outcomes for ever-widowed women persist through remarriage. These detrimental effects are passed on to children, indicating an intergenerational transmission of poverty stemming from widowhood.

Lasting Welfare Effects of Widowhood in a Poor Country

Similar Items