Paper long abstract:

Nearly 40 years ago I collected household data and migration histories for a study of migration patterns around a town in southern Ethiopia. I've now returned to the town and collected material for a new study, which allows for comparison. Looking at change it appears obvious that household relations are quite different today as compared to the situation before the revolution. In this paper I want to discuss two aspects of current households compared to the ones I recorded in 1973. 1) Children remain in the parental home until they are adult (above 18). The presence of unmarried young women is particularly noticeable. 2) The marital turnover has slowed down. Women and men do fewer marital relations during their life-time. At the conference I want to discuss the dynamics behind these changes.