This paper proposes a model of women's reproductive health in the context of economic and democratic development. Gender equality and reproductive rights were used as intervening factors. The analysis was done in three stages. First, a comparison of the mean values of the variables was conducted. Second, the parameters of the measurement model were assessed, in particular the reliability of the variables and the factor loadings on the constructs. Finally, the estimates of the structural parameters of the model were determined. Data used for this study were obtained from 129 developing countries.Empirical findings indicate the importance of economic development, gender equality, and personal marriage and divorce rights in predicting reproductive health. The path coefficients are high and statistically significant. The relationship between democracy and gender equality is positive and statistically significant as proposed. The results of this study throw some light on several long-standing concerns with regard to the role of economic development, democracy, gender equality, and reproductive rights in predicting women's reproductive health. Limitations of the study are discussed.
The study presents an analysis of the relationship between living in female-headed households and educational attainment among White and Black respondents. A statistically significant relationship is found for the White respondents. For the Black respondents, the relationship is not statistically significant. The empirical findings cast doubt on the “pathology of matriarchy” hypothesis that the breakdown of the Black family has placed Black children at a distinct disadvantage in obtaining education and social well-being. The results point instead to the importance of the social and economic resources within the family. The proposition that growing up in a female-headed household is more devastating for males than for females in terms of educational attainment is not supported. The data used for this study came from the General Social Survey (GSS) of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The analysis was conducted from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and the year 2000 data.
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