ABSTRACT
A number of refugee camps and settlements in Africa are located in remote areas where the lack of good roads and transportation make the refugees very isolated. Female-headed households represent a significant segment of the population; however, the problems of enumeration found in non-refugee situations are present in the statistical procedures within camps and settlements. Malawi shares its longest border with Mozambique, and in the border areas the populations share many ethnic and sociocultural features; in some places they also speak the same local languages. The discussion has alluded to the similarities in causation of high numbers of female-headed households in Malawi and Mozambique, suggesting that the economic hegemony of South Africa in this region is reflected in the family organization of both countries in the form of high rates of adult male migration.
