Education and polygamy: Evidence from Cameroon

Has secular education contributed to the decline of polygamy in Africa? To answer this question, we study a wave public school construction late-colonial Cameroon. Our difference-in-differences and event-study specifications show that openings have simultaneously increased chances be polygamous union for men and, more surprisingly, women. We estimate structural model marriage explain why made women likely union. The main estimated channel is educated who are often polygamists than uneducated men, not direct preferences polygamy.