Bride Wealth and Household Security in Rural Zimbabwe

In this paper we ask why Zimbabwean households pay bride wealthin instalments rather than a lump sum on the date of marriage.We also pose the question why the type of cattle that has tobe paid is not exactly specified. Starting from the observationthat in rural Zimbabwe risk markets are absent we show thatflexibility in both timing and type of bride wealth paymentenhances household security beyond what is feasible throughincome pooling between relatives related through marriage. Theadditional security results from the creation of a large poolof means-conditional, enforceable claims on assets that arevital for income generation and consumption smoothing purposes.