Maternal education, female labour force participation and child mortality: evidence from the Indian census
Tulasidhar, V.B.
Health Transition Review the Cultural Social and Behavioural Determinants of Health 3(2): 177-190
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 1036-4005 PMID: 10146572 DOI: 10.2307/40652017Document Number: 298885
The paper examines how child mortality changes with different levels of maternal education and quantifies the impact of maternal education and female labour force participation. Child mortality gradients, according to years of education, are rather steep at the primary education level for both male and female children. In post-primary stages of education incremental gains in mortality reduction are almost non-existent. Child mortality is inversely related to both maternal education and female labour force participation but disaggregated analysis shows that female labour force participation has no impact on child mortality among females with fewer than seven years of education. The relative impact of maternal education on child mortality is three times stronger than that of female labour force participation. Excess female child mortality prevailing in certain parts of India also has an inverse relationship with the length of mothers' education, and female labour force participation. Female labour force participation has a stronger influence on excess female child mortality than on absolute child mortality.