Couples' reports of women's autonomy and health-care use in Nepal.
Using data from interviews with matched couples recorded in the 2001 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, this report explores how incorporating both spouses' reports of household decisionmaking may change the understanding of the determinants and consequences of women's autonomy. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of couples disagree about who makes household decisions, but the determinants of women's autonomy are still largely similar according to both spouses'reports. The assessment of the effects of two important sources of autonomy--women's education and employment--differs significantly between spouses, however. When spouses agree that the wife is autonomous, the association between her autonomy and her use of health-care services is found to be substantially stronger than when spouses disagree about her autonomy. This finding suggests that the association between women's autonomy and health-care-service use may be underestimated when only women's reports are considered.
Allendorf
Keera
K
Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA. kallendo@ssc.wisc.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*