Abstract:
Using traditional health capital model of Grossman (The human capital
model of the demand for health. NBER, Working Paper 7078, 1972) and Wagstaff
(Bull Econ Res 38(1):93–95,1986a) this paper attempts to fill in the theoretical missing
link between mothers’ autonomy and household consumption behavior. We focus
specifically on the consumption of child health inputs. In our paper it has been shown
that working mothers’ children should be of better health. Further, independent of
working status of the mother, higher autonomy always reallocates family budget to
induce more consumption of child health inputs. The basic results of our model are
further reinforced when autonomy is dependent on mothers’ income.In fact, the income effect derived from our extended model indicates that income-induced autonomy may
result in redefining the composite consumption good for the family as an inferior one.
Description:
In this backdrop, the present paper aims to theoretically study the mechanism
through which greater autonomy of the mother leads to better child health. Since the
topics of gender equality and women’s empowerment have largely been addressed
in the context of developing countries,
