Description:
A large body of research has attempted
to explore the links between women's autonomy and their
uptake of reproductive health services in the South Asia
region, but the evidence so far is inconclusive. This study
uses the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement
Survey to examine the influence of household decision making
on women's uptake of reproductive health services. The
analysis finds that women's decision-making power has a
significant positive correlation with reproductive health
services uptake and that influential males'
decision-making power has the opposite effect, after
controlling for socio-economic indicators and supply-side
conditions. The findings suggest that empowering women and
increasing their ability to make decisions may increase
their uptake of reproductive health services. They also
suggest that policies directed toward improving women's
utilization of maternity services must target men as well as
women in Pakistan.