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Maternal Autonomy and the Education of the Subsequent Generation: Evidence from Three Contrasting States in India

Author

Listed:
  • Marco Alfano

    (Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration, University College London)

  • Wiji Arulampalam

    (University of Warwick, Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation and Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn)

  • Uma Kambhampati

    (Department of Economics, University of Reading)

Abstract

This paper makes a significant contribution on both conceptual and methodological fronts, in the analysis of the effect of maternal autonomy on school enrolment age of children in India. The school entry age is modelled using a discrete time duration model where maternal autonomy is entered as a latent characteristic, and allowed to be associated with various parental and household characteristics which also conditionally affect school entry age. The model identification is achieved by using proxy measures collected in the third round of the National Family Health Survey of India, on information relating to the economic, decision-making, physical and emotional autonomy of a woman. We concentrate on three very different states in India - Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. Our results indicate that female autonomy is not associated with socio-economic characteristics of the woman or her family in Kerala (except maternal education), while it is strongly correlated to these characteristics in both Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Secondly, while female autonomy is significant in influencing the school starting age in UP, it is less important in AP and not significant at all in Kerala.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Alfano & Wiji Arulampalam & Uma Kambhampati, 2011. "Maternal Autonomy and the Education of the Subsequent Generation: Evidence from Three Contrasting States in India," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2011-05, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
  • Handle: RePEc:rdg:emxxdp:em-dp2011-05
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    File URL: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/economics/emdp2011093.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elizabeth U. Cascio & Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, 2016. "First in the Class? Age and the Education Production Function," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 11(3), pages 225-250, Summer.
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    Cited by:

    1. Selma Walther, 2017. "Moral hazard in marriage: the use of domestic labor as an incentive device," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 357-382, June.
    2. Smriti Sharma & Christophe Nordman, 2016. "The power to choose: Gender balance of power and intra-household educational spending in India," WIDER Working Paper Series 061, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Tatiana Damjanovic & Geethanjali Selvaretnam, 2020. "Economic Growth and Evolution of Gender Equality," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 88(1), pages 1-36, January.
    4. Christophe J. Nordman & Smriti Sharma, 2016. "The power to choose: Gender balance of power and intra-household educational spending in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-61, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Itismita Mohanty & Tesfaye Alemayehu Gebremedhin, 2018. "Maternal autonomy and birth registration in India: Who gets counted?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, March.
    6. Shatanjaya Dasgupta, 2016. "Son Preference and Gender Gaps in Child Nutrition: Does the Level of Female Autonomy Matter?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 375-386, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Latent Factor Models; Structural Equation Models; Female Autonomy; School Enrolment Decisions; India; National Family Health Survey.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • C35 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions

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