BACKGROUND
Family structure and union dissolution has been one of the most thoroughly studied
determinants of children‘s wellbeing worldwide. To date, however, few of these studies
have examined sub-Saharan Africa, especially countries in West Africa where marital
breakdowns are not uncommon.
OBJECTIVE
We attempt to examine the effects of a mother's divorce and widowhood on children‘s
risk of mortality under age 5 and on their probability of entering primary school.
METHODS
Survival data analysis methods, specifically Kaplan-Meier and piecewise exponential
models, are used for analysis, based on data come from the 2000 Migration and Urban
Integration Survey of Burkina Faso.
RESULTS
Compared to those of intact families, children of divorced parents experience higher
estimated mortality risks under age 5 and a lower probability of entering school, even
after controlling for various other factors. This effect is large and significant during the
first two years after the divorce. The death of the father is also found to greatly reduce a
child‘s likelihood of entering school, but its effect on mortality is not significant
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that the family context plays an important role in determining two
important aspects of children s welfare: their probabilities of dying before age 5 and of
entering school.
COMMENTS
Children of divorced parents or a deceased father are living in precarious situations and
their specific needs should be taken into account in policies in order to improve the
wellbeing of all children. Attention must be directed to the first two years following the
union dissolution.