Long-term Consequences of Men's Migration for Women's Well-being in a Rural African Setting.

Labor migration is a massive global reality, and its effects on the well-being of nonmigrating household members vary considerably. However, much existing research is limited to cross-sectional or short-term assessments of these effects. This study uses unique longitudinal panel data collected over 12 years in rural Mozambique to examine long-term connections of women's exposure to husband's labor migration with women's material security, their perception of their households' relative economic standing in the community, their overall life satisfaction, and their expectations of future improvements in household conditions.

The Transformation of Polygyny in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As the rest of the developing world, Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced profound transformations in the institution of marriage. Yet, unlike most other regions, polygyny has remained widespread across the subcontinent. There is, however, evidence to suggest that the practice of polygyny is declining and that selection into polygynous unions based on sociodemographic characteristics is increasing assub-Saharan Africa undergoes rapid sociocultural, demographic, and economic change.

Bridewealth Marriage in the 21 Century: A Case Study from Rural Mozambique.

Objective: This study examines trends over several decades in bridewealth marriage and analyzes the association of bridewealth with women's experiences in marriage in a rural sub-Saharan setting.

Background: Bridewealth - payments from the groom's to the bride's family as part of the marriage process - has long been a central element of kinship and marriage systems in patrilineal sub-Saharan Africa. This payment, which symbolizes the transfer of sexual and reproductive rights from the wife's to the husband's family, is grounded in a collectivist-oriented family system that closely ties women's status and value to their reproductive capacity.

Educational Selectivity of Migrants and Current School Enrollment of Children Left-Behind: Analyses in Three African Countries.

Migration of household members is often undertaken to improve the well-being of individuals remaining in the household. Despite this, research has demonstrated inconsistent associations between migration and children's well-being across sending areas and types of migration. To understand the degree to which different types of migration and migrants are associated with schooling, we analyze comparable data across three African countries differing in prevalence, type, and selectivity of migration.

The Influence of Schooling on the Stability and Mutability of Gender Attitudes: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Girls in Zambia.

Purpose: Inequitable gender norms are thought to harm lifelong health and well-being. We explore the process of gender attitude change and the role of schooling in shifting or reinforcing gender norms among adolescent girls in Zambia.

Methods: We used longitudinal data collected from unmarried, vulnerable girls (aged 10-19 years) as part of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program.

Gender norms and health: insights from global survey data.

Despite global commitments to achieving gender equality and improving health and wellbeing for all, quantitative data and methods to precisely estimate the effect of gender norms on health inequities are underdeveloped. Nonetheless, existing global, national, and subnational data provide some key opportunities for testing associations between gender norms and health. Using innovative approaches to analysing proxies for gender norms, we generated evidence that gender norms impact the health of women and men across life stages, health sectors, and world regions.

The Severity and Management of Complications Among Postabortion Patients Treated in Kinshasa Health Facilities.

Context: Unsafe abortion is common in Kinshasa, which contributes to high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the complications and treatment experienced by women seeking postabortion care at health facilities in the city.

Methods: Data from 867 women admitted to a sample of health facilities providing postabortion care in Kinshasa in 2016 were drawn from a Prospective Morbidity Survey.

Adults' Conceptualisations of Children's Social Competence in Nepal and Malawi.

Adults in Nepal ( = 14) and Malawi ( = 12) were interviewed about their views regarding social competence of 5- to 17-year-old children in their societies. Both Nepali and Malawian adults discussed themes consistent with those expected in collectivistic societies with economic challenges (e.g.

Physical attractiveness and women's HIV risk in rural Malawi.

Background: Qualitative evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, where a generalized AIDS epidemic exists, suggests that attractiveness may play a role in shaping individual-level HIV risk. Attractive women, who are often blamed for the epidemic and stigmatized, are believed to pose a higher HIV risk because they are viewed as having more and riskier partners.

Objective: We examine the association between perceived attractiveness and HIV infection and risk in rural Malawi in the midst of the country's severe AIDS epidemic.

The incidence of induced abortion in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2016.

Background: In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the penal code prohibits the provision of abortion. In practice, however, it is widely accepted that the procedure can be performed to save the life of a pregnant woman. Although abortion is highly restricted, anecdotal evidence indicates that women often resort to clandestine abortions, many of which are unsafe.

Reasons why women have induced abortions: a synthesis of findings from 14 countries.

Objective: Many reasons inform women's reproductive decision-making. This paper aims to present the reasons women give for obtaining induced abortions in 14 countries.

Study Design: We examined nationally representative data from 14 countries collected in official statistics, population-based surveys, and facility-based surveys of abortion patients.

Correction: Characteristics of women obtaining induced abortions in selected low- and middle-income countries.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Characteristics of women obtaining induced abortions in selected low- and middle-income countries.

Background: In 2010-2014, approximately 86% of abortions took place in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although abortion incidence varies minimally across geographical regions, it varies widely by subregion and within countries by subgroups of women. Differential abortion levels stem from variation in the level of unintended pregnancies and in the likelihood that women with unintended pregnancies obtain abortions.

Parental Divorce and Children's Schooling in Rural Malawi.

A growing body of literature has examined the impact of different types of family structures on children's schooling in sub-Saharan Africa. These studies have investigated how living arrangements, gender of the household head, parental death, and paternal migration are related to schooling. Although many sub-Saharan African countries have high divorce rates, very few studies have explored the impact of parental divorce on children's schooling.

Father's Migration and Leaving the Parental Home in Rural Mozambique.

Migration is an increasingly common demographic phenomenon and has important implications for the well-being of family members left behind. Although extensive research has examined the impact of parental labor migration on school-age children, less is known about its effect on adolescents. In this study, the authors used longitudinal survey data collected in rural Mozambique (N = 515) to assess the association between father's migration and adolescent children's leaving the parental home, an important component of the transition to adulthood.

Forgotten marriages? Measuring the reliability of marriage histories.

Background: Marriage histories are a valuable data source for investigating nuptiality. While researchers typically acknowledge the problems associated with their use, it is unknown to what extent these problems occur and how marriage analyses are affected.

Objective: This paper seeks to investigate the quality of marriage histories by measuring levels of misreporting, examining the characteristics associated with misreporting, and assessing whether misreporting biases marriage indicators.

Barriers to contraceptive use among women in Benin.

The Republic of Benin has made it a national priority to promote family planning as part of its efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality rates. In addition to preventing deaths, increased contraceptive use would help women and families achieve their desired number of children and have greater control over timing births. It would also help Benin meet its development goals, including reducing poverty and increasing women's education and earning levels, children's schooling and GDP per capita.

Timing of orphanhood, early sexual debut, and early marriage in four sub-Saharan African countries.

According to a growing body of literature, some orphans are at heightened risk of early sexual debut and early marriage. This study examines a rarely explored aspect of orphanhood: the timing and type of parental death and their relationship to these outcomes. The study also explores whether education mediates orphans' risk of early sexual initiation and early marriage.