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Article: Women's status, fertility decline, and women's health in developing countries: Direct and indirect influences of social status on health
- Article from:
- Rural Sociology
- Article date:
- June 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Rural Sociological Society Jun 2002. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Women's Status, Fertility Decline, and Women's Health in Developing Countries: Direct and Indirect Influences of Social Status on Health*
ABSTRACT In the present three-wave study of 72 developing countries, we use growth curves to examine how changes in fertility and level of fertility mediate the effect of women's social status on women's health as measured by infant mortality, maternal mortality, and female life expectancy. We find that level of female education, average age at marriage, and the percentage of married women using contraceptives influence attained level of fertility, with controls for economic growth and dependency status. Change in fertility, however, is predicted only by ...