scholarly journals Household Bargaining and Excess Fertility: An Experimental Study in Zambia

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (7) ◽  
pp. 2210-2237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nava Ashraf ◽  
Erica Field ◽  
Jean Lee

We posit that household decision-making over fertility is characterized by moral hazard since most contraception can only be perfectly observed by the woman. Using an experiment in Zambia that varied whether women were given access to contraceptives alone or with their husbands, we find that women given access with their husbands were 19 percent less likely to seek family planning services, 25 percent less likely to use concealable contraception, and 27 percent more likely to give birth. However, women given access to contraception alone report a lower subjective well-being, suggesting a psychosocial cost of making contraceptives more concealable. (JEL C78, D12, D82, I31, J13, J16, O15)

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1433-1450
Author(s):  
Arief Wibisono Lubis

PurposeThis study examines whether financial literacy is a relevant factor that determines authority in household financial decision-making, an area that is often viewed as boring, difficult and full of uncertainties. Cognitive ability and personality traits are also included as additional explanatory variables.Design/methodology/approachThe logistic regression technique was applied using a sample of more than 2,300 microfinance institutions' clients in three provinces in Indonesia.FindingsThis study finds that financial literacy correlates positively with authority in household financial decision-making only among men. This does not mean that financial literacy is irrelevant for women's agency, since the skill might be important for authorities in other decision-making areas, including those outside households. Meanwhile, the relationship between cognitive ability and household financial decision-making authority is more universal.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not collect information on the levels of financial literacy of other household members and does not capture respondents' perceptions of household financial decision-making.Social implicationsThe overall low level of financial literacy calls for the need for more targeted efforts to address this issue by policymakers. Education policy should also be designed to improve cognitive ability, as this ability is important for human agency and well-being.Originality/valueHousehold decision-making has received significant attention in the literature. Authority in household decision-making is important because it represents a person's agency and has a profound impact on well-being. To the best of author's knowledge, studies on the importance of skills in household financial decision-making are very limited.


2003 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD MASOOD KADIR ◽  
FARIYAL F. FIKREE ◽  
AMANULLAH KHAN ◽  
FATIMA SAJAN

The perspectives of mothers-in-law about intra-household decision-making, family size and family planning are investigated, and their views compared with those of their sons and daughters-in-law. Women (717 daughters-in-law), their husbands (717 sons) and their 522 mothers-in-law were interviewed in eight squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan. Decisions about the schooling and health care of children, and the purchase of jewellery, are perceived to lie within the nuclear family domain (i.e. husband and wife). There was a difference in mothers-in-law’s, daughters-in-law’s and sons’ desire to have more children. Twenty-eight per cent of mothers-in-law versus 58% of daughters-in-law did not want more grandsons/sons and 36% of mothers-in-law versus 66% of daughters-in-law did not want more granddaughters/daughters. The difference was markedly greater among the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pairs than in the mother/son pairs. Overall, the mother-in-law’s role seems to be somewhat overshadowed by that of her son (family male member), except for limiting family size. It is suggested that mothers-in-law should be included in Information–Education–Communication (IEC) campaigns about family planning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 7-18
Author(s):  
Ramesh Adhikari ◽  
Devaraj Acharya ◽  
Chhabi Lal Ranabhat ◽  
Ranju KC

Most of the family planning services are being provided free of cost in Nepal however threat of service utilization appears unsatisfactory. This paper aims to assess the factors that are associated with non-use of family planning services among currently married women of reproductive age. The data for this paper are extracted from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2016. Altogether 9875 currently married women of reproductive age were included in this analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed to explore the association of socio-demographic characteristics with non-use of contraceptives. Almost a half of the sampled currently married women (47%) were non-users of contraception. Married women aged below 25 years (aOR=2.07, 95% CI 1.75-2.44) and aged 25 to 34 year (aOR=1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.29)were more likely to not to use contraceptives compared to women aged 35 or above years. Janajati were less likely to be non-user of contraception compared to Brahmin/Chhetri (aOR=0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.83). Muslim women were less likely to use contraception (aOR= 2.45, 95% CI 1.9-3.2) compared to Hindu women. Likewise, women who did not work currently were more likely to not use contraceptives compared to currently working women (aOR=1.47, 95% CI 1.32-1.63).Similarly, poor women were less likely to not use contraception compared to rich women (aOR=1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.32).Similarly, women who had no autonomy were more likely to be non-user of contraceptive (aOR=1.16, 95%CI 1.01-1.32) than those how had high autonomy. Women who had not heard family planning message from TV in last few months were more likely to not use contraceptives (aOR=1.16, 95%CI 1.02-1.31) than those who had heard after controlling other socio-economic variables. Women aged less than 25 years, Muslim women, currently not working and having poor wealth status, having no autonomy in household decision making, who did not watch FP message in TV were more likely to not use contraceptive methods compared to their counter parts. Thus, family-planning-related interventions need to be more focused among younger aged women, women having no or less autonomy in decision making, poor and jobless women and Muslim women. Furthermore, women empowerment initiatives (employment opportunities) tied up with family planning programs would be beneficial to increase contraceptive uptake among married women of reproductive age.


AIDS Care ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Parcesepe ◽  
Olga Tymejczyk ◽  
Robert Remien ◽  
Tsigereda Gadisa ◽  
Sarah Gorrell Kulkarni ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
Ramesh Adhikari

Nepalese women are behind than men in many areas, such as educational attainment, participation in decision-making and health service utilization, all of which have an impact on reproductive health outcomes. This paper explores effect of women's role on household decision making on institutional delivery of the child in Nepal Data as drawn from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, 2011. The analysis is confined to women who had given birth in the five years preceding the survey (n=4,148). The net effect of women’s role on household decision making on institutional delivery after controlling for the effect of other predictors has been measured through multivariate logistic regression analysis. The findings indicate that institutional delivery was still very low in Nepal. Only two in five of the women (40%) had delivered their last child with health facilities. Notably, higher level of women’s role on household decision was associated with higher level of institutional delivery [adjusted odds ratio (aOR=1.20)] than their comparison group. It can be concluded that programs should aim to increase use of maternal health services by improving women’s role on household decision making so that the overall well-being of the family can be maintained and enhanced.


Author(s):  
Muluken Dessalegn Muluneh ◽  
Lyn Francis ◽  
Mhiret Ayele ◽  
Sintayehu Abebe ◽  
Misrak Makonnen ◽  
...  

This study examines the associations between women’s empowerment and family planning use in Jimma Zone, Western Ethiopia. A total of 746 randomly selected married women of reproductive age were interviewed. The data were employed by structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate the complex and multidimensional pathways to show women’s empowerment domains in family planning utilisation. Results of the study revealed that 72% of married women had used family planning. Younger women, having access to information, having access to health facilities and being aware about family planning methods, living in a rural area, having an older partner and increased household decision-making power were associated with using family planning methods. Women’s empowerment is an important determinant of contraceptive use. Women’s empowerment dimensions included increased household decision-making power, socio-demographic variables and having access to information about family planning and accessible health facilities. These were found to be important determinants of contraceptive use. Future interventions should focus on integrating women’s empowerment into family planning programming, particularly in enhancing women’s autonomy in decision making. Further research is warranted on the socio-cultural context of women that influences women’s empowerment and family planning use to establish an in-depth understanding and equity of women in society.


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