title: "We have to ask and only then do": Unpacking agency and autonomy in women's reproductive health in urban India.
abstract: The limited autonomy and agency of women in developing countries is recognized as a key barrier to improving their reproductive health. Using an existing perinatal cohort in urban South India, we interviewed 36 women who had recently been through childbirth, and we carried out observations of family life and clinic encounters. Critical domains involved in women's agency and autonomy were women's participation in employment and group action and their mobility. Household decision making was considered a joint rather than individual responsibility. We call for a more nuanced understanding of these domains and their relationship to women's reproductive health, particularly for urban populations.
authors.affiliation: a School of Public Health & Community Medicine , University of New South Wales , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.|b South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool Hospital , Liverpool , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Shanti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychiatry , St. John's Medical College , Bangalore , India.
authors.forename: Krishnamachari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: d Department of Physiology , St. John's Medical College , Bangalore , India.
authors.forename: Anura
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurpad
authors.affiliation: a School of Public Health & Community Medicine , University of New South Wales , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: a School of Public Health & Community Medicine , University of New South Wales , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: Husna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Razee
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D004651:Employment; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016387:Women's Health