Title
Female Autonomy and Health Care in Developing Countries: A Closer Look at Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Abstract
Decisions within the household determine the allocation of resources. Theory suggests that the more autonomous women are within the household, the greater influence they will have in that allocation. This paper utilizes several measures of a woman's autonomy within the household. It is hypothesized that the greater the woman's autonomy, the more likely she will be to visit a doctor, rather than other traditional sources of healing/care, when ill. This hypothesis is tested using data drawn from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India. The results lend support to the importance of autonomy for a woman in increasing her likelihood of visiting a medical doctor when ill. Additionally, the results show that socio‐economic differences go a long way in explaining differences in healthcare choices for the sick.
Department(s)
Economics
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9361.2011.00654.x
Publication Date
2012
Recommended Citation
Self, Sharmistha, and Richard Grabowski. "Female autonomy and health care in developing countries." Review of Development Economics 16, no. 1 (2012): 185-198.
Journal Title
Review of Development Economics
