Patrilocal residence and women’s social status: Evidence from south Asia

Abstract

We investigate the effect of patrilocality, the system of postmarital residence where the couple resides with the husband's family, on the welfare of women in South Asia. Results indicate that married women in patrilocal households are less likely to participate in economic and health-care decisions and have limited freedom of movement but also face less domestic abuse. By comparing outcomes for daughters-in-law and unmarried daughters of heads of household, the effect can be attributed to a discriminatory attitude toward women married into the family. Various robustness checks show that results are not driven by selection into type of postmarital residence.