Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

~Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Family planning is a critical indicator of women's empowerment. In a developing country like India, the lack of decision-making power in family matters often restricts women from deciding how many children to have; this may even result in poor education and health conditions for their children (Davis, et al. 2014). Also, in countries like India and China, a preference for sons over daughters often result in low-education levels for girls; this is generally a result of a patriarchal society wherein inheritance takes place through sons who are often seen as a source of income for their parents in their old age. Thus, women’s education is believed to be the foundation for creating sustainable development. Besides being an important factor in increasing the welfare of children, an increase in women’s education has been linked to a reduction of both poverty and hunger through sustained economic growth. A negative correlation of women’s education and its impact on fertility and a positive correlation of women’s education and its impact on a child's health is strongly observed across regions and time in India. In a survey by the National Health Profile in 2018, it has been studied that the Total Fertility Rate for India was 2.3 whereas in rural areas it was 2.5. In urban areas, it was even lower at 1.8 (Down to Earth, 2018). Higher fertility rates in rural areas can be attributed to lower investment in girl’s education and women’s lack of decision-making in their families. To investigate whether women’s education and family planning (number of children) have an impact on a child’s health in India, we have used the DHS Data from National Family Health Survey, 2016 conducted with over 10,000 women. In general, in India, women do not have much access to sexual education and modern methods of contraception. Issues such as sex, contraceptives, and abortion are legally constructed but socially debated under a patriarchal mindset that does not allow women to have power over their own bodies. Our study uses regression analysis to demonstrate the link that exists between the increase in women’s education and increased use of contraceptives in women from rural India. We also observe a negative correlation between women’s education with the number of children borne by the woman and a positive correlation of women’s education on the child’s health. These findings have broader implications regarding the role that women’s education plays in family planning and child’s health. In addition, they suggest how education, decision-making and other measures of empowerment affect fertility, and thereby provide insights for improving future policies in the Health and Education Sectors in India.

Keywords: Contraception use, women education, fertility, women empowerment, child’s health, domestic violence