Influence of urbanization on living away type of marriage: the case of Kampala City (Uganda)

Abstract

Living away type of marriage was found to be on an upward trend and more common in urban (36.1%) than rural areas (19.2%). Logistic regression analysis showed that urban residents were 2 times more likely to be in living away type of marriage than their rural counterparts. Area of residence was the most significant factor in influencing living away type of marriage. The study revealed that living away type of marriage was due to some married men being migrant workers leaving their wives at home to maintain their family investments and the nature of jobs that make separation of spouses inevitable. The problem of accommodation in urban areas due to shortage of houses was evident from being responsible for 17% of urban residents in living away type of marriage. Living away type of marriage was implicated as being one of the causes of the spread of HIV/AIDs. Separation of couples predisposes these groups to have sexual contacts with multiple partners. Married spouses that stayed together were at lower risk of being HIV seropositive than those staying apart (UNFPA, 2006).