Despite repeated calls for improved measures of marriage as a process in sub-Saharan Africa, large-scale surveys continue to rely on static marital status. As a result, there is an incomplete understanding of the effects of marriage on outcomes of interest. We use qualitative and survey data from a longitudinal study of 1,203 young mothers residing in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya, to (1) describe the development of an innovative measure of union formalization (UF) defined as the steps through which a union attains social legitimacy; (2) compare UF with a conventional current marital status measure; (3) examine the distribution of UF steps across union history; and (4) examine the sequence and timing of pregnancy and childbearing within the UF process. We find UF steps indicative of both increasing individualization of marriage and the ongoing importance of kin involvement hold meaning. We demonstrate extensive heterogeneity in the sequence and extent of UF steps completed and interrogate the classification of premarital childbearing using sequence analysis. We argue that measuring UF is feasible and necessary for the next generation of family demography in Africa; UF measures facilitate understanding the linkages among family dynamics, health, and social stratification within the context of ongoing socioeconomic change.

中文翻译：

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衡量新一代家庭人口的工会正规化：肯尼亚城市的案例研究

尽管人们一再呼吁改善撒哈拉以南非洲地区的婚姻衡量标准，但大规模调查仍然依赖于静态的婚姻状况。因此，人们对婚姻对利益结果的影响的理解并不完全。我们使用对居住在肯尼亚内罗毕非正规住区的 1,203 名年轻母亲进行的纵向研究的定性和调查数据，以 (1) 描述工会正规化 (UF) 的创新措施的制定，定义为工会实现社会性的步骤合法性； (2) 将 UF 与传统的当前婚姻状况衡量标准进行比较； (3) 检查 UF 步骤在工会历史中的分布； (4) 检查 UF 过程中怀孕和生育的顺序和时间。我们发现，UF 的步骤表明婚姻个性化的增加和亲属参与的持续重要性都是有意义的。我们证明了 UF 步骤完成的顺序和程度存在广泛的异质性，并使用序列分析询问婚前生育的分类。我们认为，测量 UF 对于非洲下一代家庭人口统计是可行且必要的； UF 措施有助于了解在持续的社会经济变革背景下家庭动态、健康和社会分层之间的联系。