Sons as Widowhood Insurance: Evidence from Senegal

Sylvie Lambert (1, 2) , Pauline Rossi (1, 2, 3)

1 PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques
2 PSE - Paris School of Economics
3 CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique

Exploiting original data from a Senegalese household survey, we provide evidence that fertility choices are partly driven by women's needs for widowhood insurance. We use a duration model of birth intervals to show that women most at risk in case of widowhood intensify their fertility, shortening birth spacing, until they get a son. Insurance through sons might entail substantial health costs since short birth spacing raises maternal and infant mortality rates.

Mots clés: Intra-household insurance; Gender; Fertility; Health; Senegal

Domaines: Economies et finances

Sylvie Lambert, Pauline Rossi. Sons as Widowhood Insurance: Evidence from Senegal. 2015. ⟨halshs-00948098v3⟩