Polygyny and Child Growth: Evidence From Twenty-Six African Countries
利用26个非洲国家的家庭数据，研究发现一夫多妻制家庭中母亲的孩子身高发育更差，且母亲在妻妾中的排名越低、地区已婚男女比例越高，孩子身高越差。
Using household data from twenty-six African countries, this study examines the correlation between four measures of polygyny and child growth. External validity is added to existing small-sample evidence by investigating this correlation across many countries and by controlling for, as well as exploring, sources of heterogeneity at the regional, country, household, and maternal level. Household fixed-effects models indicate that the children of monogamous mothers have significantly greater height-for-age z-scores than children of polygynous mothers. Also, a low ranking in the hierarchy of mothers and the ratio of married women to men are negatively correlated with child height. The correlation varies widely across countries and is strongest for multigenerational polygynous households.