Marriage Timing in Nepal: Organizational Effects and Individual Mechanisms

Although researchers have consistently found effects of context on family behaviors, there has been less success in identifying the mechanisms of these effects. One reason may be that the measured mechanisms may not have been directly related to the contextual measures. In this article, I examine marriage timing in the Chitwan Valley of Nepal, a setting of rapid social change. Individual and neighborhood history calendars provide detailed, time-ordered information on individuals' behaviors and changes in the context of neighborhoods. I test how individuals' experiences with nonfamily activities mediate the neighborhood effects of nonfamily organizations such as schools, health care providers, employers, and cinemas. Results indicate that while both individuals' activities and neighborhood organizations influence marriage timing, there is mixed evidence that individuals' activities mediate neighborhood effects.