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The impact of flooding on marriage: evidence from Pakistan

Riaz Ahmed (Department of Management Sciences, University of Turbat, Turbat, Pakistan)

Disaster Prevention and Management

ISSN: 0965-3562

Article publication date: 8 December 2017

Issue publication date: 2 January 2018

551

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the flood on marriages in flooded households compared to marriages in unaffected households by utilizing the 2010 Pakistani flood as a type of natural experiment.

Design/methodology/approach

A difference-in-difference approach is used to estimate the effect of the flood on marriages in 62 flooded districts compared with those in 53 non-flooded districts by utilizing the six waves of the household level surveys data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement, 2004-2005 to 2014-2015.

Findings

Results show that the flood decreased marriages; by 17 marriages per 1,000 individuals aged 15-50 years in flooded districts during the flood year and the effect disappeared after the flood year. The negative impact of the flood on rural marriages is significantly higher and robust.

Social implications

The flood seemingly discouraged individuals in flooded districts to be engaged in long term relationship mainly due to the flood related economic and financial losses. In order to acquire and maintain individual overall well-being, sexual health in vital to maintain mental and physical health, so policy makers/humanitarian aid-providers should assist the affected adults financially or by arranging their marriages at least during the flood year. The study also suggests that the delay of marriages means the accumulation of human capital in the form of school attainment of male marriages, so younger adult should be discouraged marrying at early age.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature in the following ways: first, the study empirically investigates the impact of flood – both immediate and long term – on marriage rates by using a natural experiment. Second, it examines the relationship based on geographic location and gender. Third, it investigates the impact of natural hazards on child marriage.

Keywords

Citation

Ahmed, R. (2018), "The impact of flooding on marriage: evidence from Pakistan", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 115-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-05-2017-0094

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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