Degree

Master of Science in Economics

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Economics

Date of Submission

2025-03-19

Supervisor

Dr. Lubna Naz, Professor and Director CBER, Department of Economics

Project Type

MSECO Research Project

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Diarrhea, Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting, WASH, Woman Autonomy

JEL Code

I12, J12, J13

Abstract

This study examines the association of diarrhea prevalence among under-five children with women’s autonomy. The objectives are to determine individually whether children with autonomous mothers and having access to improved water and sanitation facilities are associated with a lower likelihood of suffering from diarrhea. Using the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18, a nationally representative household survey, a sample of 1296 children was extracted. The dependent variable is binary whether the child experienced diarrhea. Two variables are used individually as treatments: woman autonomy (covering critical dimensions of decision-making power; role in decisions regarding household purchases, healthcare, and visiting friends/family) and improved water and sanitation facilities (access to the type of water and toilet). Other covariates include the birth order, age, and sex of the child, woman’s education, wealth, region, and province. Inverse probability of treatment weighting is applied, which is a suitable technique for creating a pseudo-population without confounders. The weights for each individual are generated by the inverse of propensity scores through logistic regression. Findings conclude that children of non-autonomous mothers face greater chances by 12.8% of suffering from diarrhea compared to those with autonomous mothers (10.6%). The significant element of the woman autonomy index is woman’s decision-making for their healthcare since children of such mothers who have no authority are likely to suffer 13.2% more from diarrhea than otherwise. Moreover, when improved water and sanitation facilities are the treatment, children from households with both improved sources and one or no improved source face 11.1% and 12.2% chances of being exposed to the disease, respectively. This study highlights the positive influence women’s autonomy and a combined improvement in water and sanitation can have on reducing childhood diarrhea. The results emphasize the importance of interventions for promoting women’s autonomy in household decisions and giving households the access to clean water and sanitation to reduce health disparities and allowing children an improvement in health outcomes.

Pages

x, 49

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