JSDE Seminar: The Economics of Abduction Marriage: Evidence from Ethiopia (10/2/23)

Posted: 9/29/2023 (Local Events)

On October 2 (11am) Lindsey Novak (Reed College) will be sharing their research on the economics of abduction marriage to the JSDE seminar. In several Asian and African countries, a sizable share of marriages are initiated by the man abducting the woman he wishes to wed. In this paper, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to characterize the practice of abduction marriage. We first use Demographic and Health Survey data along with ethnographic data to characterize women and ethnic groups affected by this practice in Ethiopia. Secondly, we present the results from in-depth surveys with community leaders and abducted women in the Gambella region of Ethiopia to gain a deeper understanding of how the practice functions. Finally, we empirically examine the hypothesis–found in the literature and reiterated in our qualitative interviews–that abduction marriage is most often used by men to improve bargaining power in marriage negotiations and reduce the size of the bride price payment at marriage. We find that the experience of negative rainfall shocks, a proxy for income shocks, during teenage years increases the probability of being abducted only for women from ethnic groups that practice bride price. We argue this is consistent with the strategic use of abduction to reduce the size of the bride price payment.   The JSDE seminar will take place in 410 Savery Hall or via zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/6044712020

Date: 10/02/2023

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: 410 Savery Hall or via zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/6044712020