We study the impact of bride kidnapping, a peculiar form of marriage practiced in Central Asia, on child birth weight. The search for a suitable mate in a kidnapped marriage is initiated by the groom, and there is typically non-coerced consent only by the male. We expect adverse consequences...

A longstanding tradition of patrilocal marriage – living in the husband's natal household - affects every generation of Central Asian women and their choices regarding childbearing, employment and education. While anthropological evidence suggests that elder household members, especially the...

We study the impact of bride kidnapping, a form of marriage practiced in Central Asia and elsewhere, on infant birth weight. Considerable debate exists as to whether kidnapping is merely ritualized elopement, or whether it involves bride coercion. To the extent that it is non-consensual, we...