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Maternal Health, Child Well-Being and Chronic Poverty: Does Women's Agency Matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Sharifa Begum

    (Former Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Dev elopment Studies (BIDS).)

  • Binayak Sen

    (Research Director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Dhaka)

Abstract

This paper is about interconnections between women's empowerment and maternal health outcomes that can influence current child well- being and future escape chances from chronic poverty. The literature on intergenerationally transmitted chronic poverty identifies three channels working through economic asset, educational human capital and nutrition-productivity, respectively. The present paper underscores the importance of women Õ s health as another channel through which transmission of poverty is possible. The basic message is that while household poverty is an important correlate of maternal and child deprivations, the role of women's agency is no less consequential in shaping favourable outcomes. The empirical results for Bangladesh seem to suggest that women's agency can encourage strategic investments in mothers and children, including adoption of improved health care practices irrespective of gender of the child. And this can happen in the case of non-poor and poor households alike, indicating the potentials for conscious choice in overcoming chronic poverty. The silent role of women's agency needs to be seen as an important supplement to conventional anti-poverty policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharifa Begum & Binayak Sen, 2009. "Maternal Health, Child Well-Being and Chronic Poverty: Does Women's Agency Matter?," Bangladesh Development Studies, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), vol. 32(4), pages 69-94.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:badest:0489
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sen, Binayak, 2003. "Drivers of Escape and Descent: Changing Household Fortunes in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 513-534, March.
    2. Jalan, Jyotsna & Ravallion, Martin, 1999. "Are the poor less well insured? Evidence on vulnerability to income risk in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 61-81, February.
    3. Bob Baulch & John Hoddinott, 2000. "Economic mobility and poverty dynamics in developing countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(6), pages 1-24.
    4. Osmani, Siddiq & Sen, Amartya, 2003. "The hidden penalties of gender inequality: fetal origins of ill-health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 105-121, January.
    5. Bardhan, Pranab, 1996. "Efficiency, Equity and Poverty Alleviation: Policy Issues in Less Developed Countries," Center for International and Development Economics Research, Working Paper Series qt3jq4h9sc, Center for International and Development Economics Research, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    6. Bardhan, Pranab, 1996. "Efficiency, Equity and Poverty Alleviation: Policy Issues in Less Developed Countries," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt3jq4h9sc, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    7. Menno Pradhan & Martin Ravallion, 2000. "Measuring Poverty Using Qualitative Perceptions Of Consumption Adequacy," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 82(3), pages 462-471, August.
    8. Bardhan, Pranab, 1996. "Efficiency, Equity and Poverty Alleviation: Policy Issues in Less Developed Countries," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(438), pages 1344-1356, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kumar, Sumit & Patel, Ratna & Chauhan, Shekhar, 2020. "Does land possession among working women empower them and improve their child health: A study based on National Family Health Survey-4," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    2. Promila Das, 2023. "Examination of Elements Influencing Mothers’ Dynamic Capacity and Versatility: A Household-level Analysis," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 17(1), pages 179-190, April.

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    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General

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