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Maternal mortality and women's political participation

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September 24, 2019

Maternal mortality and women's political participation

Source: MedRxiv

Raising women’s political participation leads to faster maternal mortality decline. We estimate that the introduction of quotas for women in parliament results in a 9–12 per cent decline in maternal mortality. In terms of mechanisms, it also leads to an 8–11 per cent increase in skilled birth attendance and a 6–11 per cent increase in prenatal care utilization. We find reinforcing evidence from the period in which the United States experienced rapid declines in maternal mortality. The historical decline made feasible by the introduction of antibiotics was significantly greater in states that had longer exposure to women’s suffrage.

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Resource type
Author
Sonia Bhalotra, Damian Clarke, Joseph Gomes, and Atheendar Venkataramani
Publication year
2019
Focus areas

Raising women’s political participation leads to faster maternal mortality decline. We estimate that the introduction of quotas for women in parliament results in a 9–12 per cent decline in maternal mortality. In terms of mechanisms, it also leads to an 8–11 per cent increase in skilled birth attendance and a 6–11 per cent increase in prenatal care utilization. We find reinforcing evidence from the period in which the United States experienced rapid declines in maternal mortality. The historical decline made feasible by the introduction of antibiotics was significantly greater in states that had longer exposure to women’s suffrage.

Click here to see the academic article.

Resource type
Author
Sonia Bhalotra, Damian Clarke, Joseph Gomes, and Atheendar Venkataramani
Publication year
2019
Focus areas