Union formation, within-couple dynamics, and child well-being: a global macrolevel perspective
Batyra, Ewa (Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics)
Pesando, Luca Maria (New York University Abu Dhabi)
Castro-Torres, Andrés F (Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics)
Furstenberg, Frank F. (University of Pennsylvania)
Kohler, Hans-Peter (University of Pennsylvania)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	Studies on global changes in families have greatly increased over the past decade, adopting both a country-specific and, more recently, a cross-national comparative perspective. While most studies are focused on the drivers of global changes in families, little comparative research has explored the implications of family processes for the health and well-being of children. This study aims to fill this gap and launch a new research agenda exploring the intergenerational implications of union-formation and within-couple dynamics for children's health and well-being across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), both globally, regionally, and by the stage of fertility transition. We do so by adopting a macrolevel perspective and a multi-axis conceptualization of children's outcomes-health at birth, health in later life, and schooling-and leveraging Demographic and Health Survey and World Bank data across 75 LMICs. Our results show that in societies where partnerships are characterized by more equal status between spouses-that is, where the age range between spouses and differences in years of schooling between partners are narrower-children fare better on several outcomes. These associations are particularly strong in mid- and high-fertility settings. Despite a series of regularities, our results also highlight a set of findings whereby, at a macrolevel, the prevalence of marriage and divorce/separation are not invariably associated with children's outcomes, especially in LMICs where fertility is comparatively lower. We document little cross-regional heterogeneity, primarily highlighting the centrality of demographic factors such as age vis-à-vis, for instance, region-specific characteristics that are more tied to the social fabric of specific societies.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación FJC2019-040652-I Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación FJC2020-042965-I
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Child outcomes ; Family change ; Gender dynamics ; LMICs ; Macrolevel analyses ; Union formation
Published in:	Population, space and place, April (2023) , ISSN 1544-8452

DOI: 10.1002/psp.2661
PMID: 37635738

16 p, 1.9 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Social and Legal Sciences > Centre for Demographic Studies (CED-CERCA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles