The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #47088

Sidney Schuler, PhD¹, Lisa M Bates, SM², Diana Santana, MA¹, and Farzana Islam, PhD³. (1) Empowerment of Women Research Program, JSI Research & Training Institute, 1616 N. Fort Myer Drive, 11th floor, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 528-7474, sid@jsi.com, (2) Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Anthropology Department, Jahangirnagar University, 1-3A Lalmatia, Block C, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Policy makers and service providers often ignore married young people, despite their large numbers throughout the world. This is especially true in South Asian countries, where marriage is nearly universal and the practice of early marriage persists. Over half of all women in Bangladesh are married prior to age 20. This paper will present results from a study that combines qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the effects of women's empowerment on their children's gender attitudes, marital relationships, age at marriage, and initiation of childbearing. Empowerment measures from surveys in six villages are used to assess whether women have more gender-equitable marital relationships and better reproductive health indicators if their mothers are relatively more empowered. These topics are further explored through case studies with a subsample of married young men (wives under age 25) whose mothers' empowerment scores are substantially higher or lower than the mean. The study's objectives are to examine inter-generational influences on gender relations and reproductive health among married young people and to identify factors that support gender-equitable relationships, especially in the area of reproductive health. Our general hypothesis is that empowered women (mothers and mothers-in-law) foster gender equity and better reproductive health in the marital relationships of their sons and daughters. Women's empowerment may influence second generation relationships and equity both indirectly by shaping the attitudes, expectations, and opportunities of their children, and directly by affecting the decisions and behaviors of the couple.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Describe inter-generational influences on gender relations and reproductive health among young married people,
• Identify factors that support gender-equitable relationships in reproductive health

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Gender

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.