Publication Title: The Journal of Development Studies

Pages: 1459-1474

Abstract: This article uses data from northern Tanzania to analyze how economic empowerment helps women reduce their reproductive health (RH) vulnerability. It analyzes the effect of women’s employment and economic contribution to their household on health care use at three phases in the reproductive cycle: before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and at child birth. Economic empowerment shows a positive effect on health-seeking behavior during pregnancy and at child birth, which remains robust after controlling for bargaining power and selection bias. This indicates that any policy that increases women’s economic empowerment can have a direct positive impact on women’s RH.