Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Women’S Intrahousehold Bargaining Power On Child Health Outcomes In Bangladesh, Eleanor M. Schmidt

Undergraduate Economic Review

Trends in developing economies suggest that as relative female intrahousehold bargaining power improves, consumption preferences favor basic needs which promote child welfare. This study seeks to examine whether greater household bargaining power by Bangladeshi women is related to an improvement the health of their children. Results suggest that certain aspects of bargaining power, including female participation in decision-making about child health care, large household purchases and daily needs, are associated with larger child height-for-age z-scores. There exists a positive correlation between children in families where their mothers have decision-making authority and child health outcomes.