Effects of marital breakdown on women’s living conditions in Burkina Faso

This study examines the effect of divorce and widowhood on women’s living conditions using the data from a biographical retrospective survey. An analysis using linear regression with random intercepts showed that divorce or death of a spouse has a negative impact on women’s standard of living, an effect that remains significant even in the presence of other factors and which persists over time. Young women in recent decades, rural women, and those belonging to certain ethnic groups seem to be more disadvantaged than others.