Patterned remittances enhance women's health-related autonomy

Green, Sharon Hope; Wang, Charlotte; Ballakrishnen, Swethaa; Brueckner, Hannah; Bearman, Peter Shawn

doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100370

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Autonomy is a multifaceted concept that encompasses certain powers to manage the personal environment by controlling resources and information, including freedom of movement, making decisions about one’s personal concerns, or by close family members [ 10 , 11 ]. Women’s autonomy is important in their own right and is crucially linked to women’s health and health-related issue [ 12 ]. Evidence suggests that increasing the access of economic resources alone is insufficient but requires increased women’s decision-making and control of household resources is also highly required.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making autonomy of women and other factors of anemia among married women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of a countrywide survey

et al. 2021

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Background Anemia is one of the world’s public health problem, especially in developing nations. The majority of women of childbearing age (15–49) are affected by anemia. Women’s role in the decision-making process is significant for their health and related issues such as anemia. So far, there is no evidence of women’s decision-making autonomy on anemia. Consequently, this study aimed to robustly examine both individual- and group-level women’s decision-making autonomy and other determinants of anemia among married women in Ethiopia. Methods We examined data from an Ethiopian demographic and health survey conducted in 2016. Our analysis included 9220 married women of childbearing age (15–49 years). For bivariate analysis, we applied the chi-squared (X2) test. The relationship between individual and group-level women’s decision-making autonomy and anemia was assessed using multilevel binary logistic regression models while adjusting other socio-demographic and economic characteristics. Results In this study the magnitude of anemia was 30.5% (95% CI; 29.5–31.4). According to our multilevel analysis, group-level women’s autonomy was found to be negatively related with anemia than individual-level women’s autonomy (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.41–0.69). In addition, the indicator of women’s wealth index at group level was a protective factor (AOR = 0.68, 95% CI =0.51–0.90) to develop anemia. Among individual-level indicators women’s age (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.60–0.89), use of contraceptive (AOR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.55–0.81), BMI (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.59–0.86) and employment status (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79–0.98) were negatively related with anemia. While women who follow Muslim religion (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.32–1.97,), women who had five and above number of children (AOR = 93, 95% CI = 1.53–2.46), and who were pregnant (AOR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.04–1.40) were positively associated with anemia. Our final model showed that around 27% of the variability of having anemia was because of group-level differences (ICC = 0.27, P < 0.001). In addition, both individual and group-level factors account for 56.4% of the variance in the in the severity of anemia across communities (PCV = 56.4%). Conclusions Our study showed that empowering women within households is not only an important mechanism to reduce anemia among married women but also serves as a way to improve the lives of other women within the society.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making autonomy of women and other factors of anemia among married women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of a countrywide survey

et al. 2021

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“…Remittances received in prior years could be used for a current healthcare need or the practice of borrowing against future remittances could also reduce measured remittances. The impact of remittances on women left behind is complicated and as other studies have found, the benefits are not necessarily always attributable to specific remittance reports or amounts [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A husband’s migration has substantial implications for women’s health and autonomy, both through the remittances they send home and also the constraints induced by spousal absence and adjustments in household headship [ 28 , 36 – 39 ]. The measurable, economic-driven effects must be understood in the context of gendered political and social constraints on women’s residential patterns and control over resources [ 36 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of spousal migration on access to healthcare for women left behind: A cross-sectional follow-up study

et al. 2021

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Background Women left behind by migration represent a unique and growing population yet remain understudied as key players in the context of migration and development. Using a unique longitudinal survey of life in Bangladesh, the Matlab Health and Socioeconomic Surveys, we examined the role of spousal migration in healthcare utilization for women. The objective of this study was to assess realized access to care (do women actually get healthcare when it is needed) and consider specific macrostructural, predisposing, and resource barriers to care that are related to migration. Methods and findings In a sample of 3,187 currently married women, we estimated multivariate logistic and multinomial regression models controlling for a wide range of baseline sociodemographic factors measured as far back as 1982. Our analyses also controlled for selection effects and explored two mechanisms through which spousal migration can affect healthcare utilization for women, remittances and frequent contact with spouses. We found that women with migrant spouses were approximately half as likely to lack needed healthcare compared to women whose spouses remained in Bangladesh (predicted probability of not getting needed healthcare 11.7% vs. 21.8%, p<0.001). The improvements in access (logistic regression coefficient for lacking care for left-behind women -0.761 p<0.01) primarily occurred through a reduction in financial barriers to care for women whose spouses were abroad. Conclusions Wives of international migrants showed significantly better access to healthcare even when accounting for selection into a migrant family. While the overall story is one of positive migration effects on healthcare access due to reductions in financial barriers to care, results also showed an increase in family-related barriers such as not being permitted to get care by a family member or travel alone to a facility, indicating that some of the benefits of migration for women left behind may be diluted by gendered family structures.

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“…Such income use will have an obvious impact on immigrant consumption levels, but also shifts our understanding of migration towards a global developmental perspective. Remittances represent a significant contribution to development which can have environmentally beneficial effects (Hecht et al 2006;Jaquet et al 2016;Oldekop et al 2018; but see also Davis and Lopez-Carr for a more ambiguous account) and under some circumstances lead to lower fertility (Anwar and Mugha 2016;Green et al 2019;Paul et al 2019. See also Ifelunini et al 2018 for an account of increased fertility with remittance receipt).…”

Section: Culture Environment Economymentioning

confidence: 99%