Kati Schindler, Marijke Verpoorten
We use armed conflict in Rwanda as a natural experiment to study the impact of a decrease in the sex ratio on the marriage market. Combining detailed information on conflict intensity with pre- and post-war individual-level data, we find several effects of the shortage of middle-aged men in the marriage market. First, fewer men remained single in the post-war period, while more middle-aged women did. Second, we find that the age at first marriage increases for both women and men. Third, the share of informal marriages increases among men and women of all ages, without registration or transfer of bride price. Fourth, we find a rather large increase in the number of children born out-of-wedlock, who - lacking customary and statutory land rights - are likely to add to the number of landless youth. This finding raises concerns as unequal land access is said to have contributed to the intensity of the genocide.
JEL-Classification: J12;O12
Keywords: Armed conflict, genocide, marriage market, sex ratio, Rwanda
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