Impact of Women’s Empowerment of Total Children Born

Abstract

Population growth is one of the most salient problems faced by developing countries today. Population growth, if not checked, can decrease living standards and lead to high rates of unemployment in the future. South Asia, especially Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, still struggle to deal with this problem. This thesis looks at the relationship between total children born per women and women’s empowerment. The purpose of this analogy is not only to reduce the population growth but also to reduce the total births faced by a woman, which is correlated with maternal mortality, infant malnutrition, and even infant mortality. The study uses the Pakistan Demographic Household Survey’s (PDHS) woman-level data to analyze the impact of women’s empowerment on their total children born. To resolve the problems of endogeneity and reverse causality, techniques of Structural Equation Modeling will be applied. Even with promises and efforts to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals of increasing women’s empowerment, achieving these goals is not yet within reach, especially in the remote rural areas of the country.