The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #37482

Guang-zhen Wang, PhD, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Gerontology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204, 501-569-3190, gxwang@ualr.edu and Vijayan K. Pillai, PhD, school of social work, University of Texas in Arlington, BOX 19129, Arlington, TX 76019.

About two decades ago, much of the world's attention centered on how to slow down the high rates of population growth especially in developing countries. When the international community met in Cairo in 1994 at the Conference on Population and Development, there was an emerging consensus that women's reproductive health is important in its own right and that population control objectives should be integrated with broader social health needs.

In general, two broad schemes of analysis have been used recently in the social sciences literature to examine reproductive health. The first type identifies a number of social-structural characteristics. The second, the reproductive rights explanation, is of recent origin and advocated by scholars from the public health field. Using data from 125 developing countries, the study tests the two explanations of women's reproductive health. The findings indicate the importance fertility decline and reproductive rights in predicting reproductive health. An inverse relationship between women's reproductive health and their economic status is found. We argue for a gender-sensitive human rights approach toward women's reproductive health.

Learning Objectives:

• About two decades ago, much of the world's attention centered on how to slow down the high rates of population growth especially in developing countries. When the international community met in Cairo in 1994 at the Conference on Population and Development, there was an emerging consensus that women's reproductive health is important in its own right and that population control objectives should be integrated with broader social health needs.
• In general, two broad schemes of analysis have been used recently in the social sciences literature to examine reproductive health. The first type identifies a number of social-structural characteristics. The second, the reproductive rights explanation, is of recent origin and advocated by scholars from the public health field. Using data from 125 developing countries, the study tests the two explanations of women's reproductive health. The findings indicate the importance fertility decline and reproductive rights in predicting reproductive health. An inverse relationship between women's reproductive health and their economic status is found. We argue for a gender-sensitive human rights approach toward women's reproductive health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.