Education and Maternal Health in Pakistan: The Pathways of Influence

Abstract

Although numerous studies have explored the relationship between education and women’s health-seeking behavior, the role of education – and the pathway through which it affects health-seeking behavior – remains unclear. We use data from the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey for 2006/07 on women aged 15–49 who had given birth at least once in the last three years to determine which socioeconomic factors affect maternal healthcare use, and how the effect of women’s own education is transmitted to their health-seeking behavior. We implement two estimation techniques: (i) a two-step instrumental variable linear probability model, in which women’s exposure to mass media is used as an instrumental variable for their health knowledge; and (ii) a community fixed effects model. The results of the analysis indicate that predisposing factors – such as women’s level of education, their children’s birth order, their spouse’s level of education, type of occupation, and empowerment – are important determinants of maternal health-seeking behavior in Pakistan. The results also confirm the important role played by women’s own health knowledge, independent of their education, on their maternal healthcare use.