Reforming of Women's Litigant Rights and Child Wellbeing: Evidence from Nigeria. Issue 1 (2nd January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Efobi, Uchenna R.; Ajefu, Joseph B.
• Is Part Of: Journal of development studies. Volume 59:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 58
• Page End: 72
• Publication Date: 2023-01-02
• Subjects: Bargaining power -- child's wellbeing -- female empowerment -- legal reform -- Nigeria -- women's rights; Economic development -- Periodicals; Economic history -- 1945- -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; Développement économique -- Périodiques; Histoire économique -- 1945- -- Périodiques; Pays en voie de développement -- Conditions économiques -- Périodiques; 338.91
• DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2022.2110490
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0388

Abstract

Abstract: Does a legal reform with patriarchal interpretations of the religious law codes affect the wellbeing of the children? In this study, we show that reforming the legal system by adopting a religious law, with high enforcement in some Nigerian states, affects a woman's bargaining power and utility outside marriage, which could adversely affect a child's wellbeing. We find empirical support for this framework by using a difference-in-differences design that exploits variation in the women's religion, the state of residence, and the period of reform enforcement in Nigeria. The findings of this paper reveal that women exposed to the reforms are likely to report poor health investment and poor health outcomes in their children. The potential pathways through which the reform affects child wellbeing include early marriage entry and a decline in a woman's intra-household bargaining power.