The Demographic and Health Survey Phase 8 (DHS-8): Number of Wives in the Household includes 3 items from the Women's Questionnaire to assess whether the respondent is the sole wife in the household or if her husband has multiple wives. Items include the the total number of wives or live-in partners, and the order of the wives. Navigational aspects (i.e. skip-out patterns and next question sequences) have not been included on this page but can be viewed on the original questionnaire located here.
Geographies Tested: Afghanistan,Angola,Burkina Faso,Cambodia,Cameroon,Cote d'Ivoire,Ethiopia,Ghana,Guatemala,Guinea,Kenya,Madagascar,Mozambique,Myanmar (Burma),Nepal,Rwanda,Senegal,The Gambia,Zimbabwe
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. Does your (husbandpartner) have other wives or does he live with other women as if married?
Response Options:
Yes
No
Don’t know
2. Including yourself, in total, how many wives or live-in partners does he have?
Response Options:
Total number of wives and live-in partners (2-digit numeric)
Don’t know
3. Are you the first, second,…wife?
Response Options:
Rank (2-digit numeric)
Don’t know
Not Applicable
Demographic and Health Surveys (2019). Demographic and Health Surveys: Women's Questionnaire. https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-DHSQ8-DHS-Questionnaires-and-Manuals.cfm
Psychometric Score
Ease of Use Score
Qualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
Internal
Test-retest
Interrater
Content
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
Readability
Scoring Clarity
Length
to get the latest updates on new measures and guidance for survey researchers