Polygamy and female labour supply in Senegal

Arbeitspapier

In this paper, we explore the links between polygyny and female labour supply in Senegal using a nationally representative survey. In a reduced-form approach, we first measure the impact of polygyny on participation using a joint model of spouse participation. The identification of the impact of polygyny relies on the use of district-level variables as instruments. We find a positive impact of polygyny on female labour force participation. Turning to a structural approach based on the collective household model, we examine the possibility that men within couples use polygyny as a threat to influence the distribution of resources in their favour. The results are less conclusive regarding the role played by the risk of polygyny as an effective distribution factor.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch
• ISBN: 978-92-9256-353-0

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WIDER Working Paper ; No. 2017/127

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation ; Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply
• Subject: collective model ; intrahousehold allocation ; women's empowerment ; polygyny ; social norms

Contributors, Location and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Cudeville, Elisabeth ; Guénard, Charlotte ; Robilliard, Anne-Sophie
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
• (where): Helsinki
• (when): 2017

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2017/353-0
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/189972
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET