Men's Migration, Women's Autonomy, and Union Dissolution in Rural Mozambique

Men's labor migration has been shown to affect marital stability in various contexts, but heterogeneity in the relationship between migration and marital outcomes is not well understood. This study employs longitudinal data from rural Mozambique, a rapidly changing setting with massive yet diverse male labor out-migration, to examine the associations between husband's migration and union dissolution. It analyzes variation in the likelihood of dissolution according to the success of migration and assesses the degree to which this association is influenced by women's decision-making autonomy. Results show no overall association between husband's migration status and the likelihood of dissolution but substantial differences between unions of more successful and less successful migrants. Women's decision-making autonomy is associated with an increased risk of divorce for women married to migrants but greater marital stability for women married to nonmigrants. Implications of these findings for union stability in sub-Saharan and similar developing settings are discussed.