Land use and marriage timing in Nepal

Scott T. Yabiku

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

I examine the relationship between patterns of land use and marriage timing in the Chitwan Valley, a rural area in south-central Nepal. In this setting, I conceptualize a relevant dimension of land use as the portion of land in each neighborhood devoted to agriculture. Using discrete-time event history models, I examine the relationship between the proportion of land devoted to agriculture and the rate of marriage among 811 never-married individuals aged 15-20 years. Agricultural land has a positive association with marriage rates. As potential intervening mechanisms between agricultural land and marriage rates, I propose nonfamily organizations, school and work activities, and local marriage markets. A portion of the relationship between land and marriage rates appears to be mediated through the accessibility of nonfamily employers. Respondents' actual employment activities, however, fail to mediate the effects of agricultural land or nonfamily employers. The precise mechanisms linking land use to marriage remain unclear.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)445-461
Number of pages17
JournalPopulation and Environment
Volume27
Issue number5-6
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2006

Keywords

  • Family formation
  • Landuse
  • Marriage
  • Nepal

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Demography
  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)

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