Implication of Women’s Autonomy and Socio-Economic Status on Maternal and Child Health in Karnataka: Evidence from NFHS-3

Sandhya Rani Mahapatro, Institute for Social and Economic Change

Women’s autonomy, their socio-economic status and its relation to reproductive behaviour being a major area of concern as it reduces maternal mortality and improves child health. In this study, therefore an attempt is made to understand the various dimensions of women’s autonomy and its influence on maternal and child health seeking behaviour in relation to various socio-economic indicators in Karnataka. Using NFHS-3 data and by taking the autonomy and the socio-economic indices the study tries to assess the extent of influence on reproductive health behaviour of women. Bivariate analysis is used to carry out the extent of differential in maternal and child health. Logistic regression models are used to quantify relationships between different aspects of autonomy and maternal care seeking. The findings of the study show that autonomy greatly influenced by the socio-economic status of women and socio-economic indices have greater influence on MCH utilisation compared to autonomy indices.