Marriage, Common-Law Unions, and Health Inequalities in Jamaica: A Life-Course and Socioeconomic Analysis of the 2023 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions
Abstract
Background: Marriage and common-law partnership are established forms of intimate union in Jamaica. Yet evidence comparing their socioeconomic and health profiles remains limited. This study examined differences between married and common-law adults using the 2023 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC), guided by social-determinants-of-health, life-course, and socioeconomic-selection perspectives.
Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted among 1,093 respondents restricted to married (n = 697; 63.8%) and common-law (n = 396; 36.2%) unions. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, health-insurance, healthcare-utilisation, chronic-disease, and functional-health indicators were examined using descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square tests, and Cramer's V, with statistical significance set at p-value <0.05.
Results: Union status was strongly differentiated by age, with common-law respondents concentrated in younger adulthood and married respondents disproportionately represented at older ages. Married respondents were more concentrated in higher per capita population quintiles and had greater private health-insurance coverage, whereas common-law respondents showed greater representation in lower economic quintiles. Several chronic diseases and functional limitations were more prevalent among married respondents. However, these crude health differences must be interpreted cautiously because age demonstrated a substantially stronger association with union status than most socioeconomic and health indicators, making life-course stage a potential confounder.
Conclusion: Marriage and common-law partnership in Jamaica are embedded in distinct demographic and socioeconomic profiles. Observed health differences should not be interpreted as causal effects of union status without multivariable adjustment, particularly for age and socioeconomic circumstances. The findings highlight the importance of integrating family demography, socioeconomic inequality, and life-course processes in Jamaican public-health research and policy.
