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Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

ABSTRACT: Despite India's substantial investments in primary schooling, gaps in schooling persist across gender and caste-with scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) girls being particularly disadvantaged. The representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures may help to mitigate this disadvantage. Specifically, because of her intersecting gender and caste/tribe identities, a SC/ST woman legislator might maintain a strong sense of solidarity especially with SC/ST girls and women, and support legislative policies benefitting SC/ST girls. Consequently, for this reason, we expect that living in a district where SC/ST women represent in state legislatures in a higher proportion may increase SC/ST girls' primary school completion, progression and performance. We tested this hypothesis using district-level data between 2000 and 2004 from the Indian Election Commission, the 2004/5 India Human Development Survey, and the Indian Census of 2001. As expected, the representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures was positively associated with SC/ST girls' grade completion and age-appropriate grade progression but was apparent not SC/ST girls' primary-school performance. SC/ST women's representation in state legislatures may reduce gender-caste gaps in primary-school attainment in India.

SUBMITTER: Halim N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5668905 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

Halim Nafisa N Yount Kathryn M KM Cunningham Solveig S

Social science research 20160208

Despite India's substantial investments in primary schooling, gaps in schooling persist across gender and caste-with scheduled caste and scheduled tribe (SC/ST) girls being particularly disadvantaged. The representation of SC/ST women in state legislatures may help to mitigate this disadvantage. Specifically, because of her intersecting gender and caste/tribe identities, a SC/ST woman legislator might maintain a strong sense of solidarity especially with SC/ST girls and women, and support legisl ...[more]

PMID: 27194655

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Project description:BackgroundThe persistently high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity among historically marginalised social groups, such as adolescent Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India, can be attributed, in part, to the low utilisation of full antenatal healthcare services. Despite efforts by the Indian government, full antenatal care (ANC) usage remains low among this population. To address this issue, it is crucial to determine the factors that influence the utilisation of ANC services among adolescent SC/ST mothers. However, to date, no national-level comprehensive study in India has specifically examined this issue for this population. Our study aims to address this research gap and contribute to the understanding of how to improve the utilisation of ANC services among adolescent SC/ST mothers in India.Data and methodsData from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) was used. The outcome variable was full antenatal care (ANC). A pregnant mother was considered to have 'full ANC' only when she had at least four ANC visits, at least two tetanus toxoid (TT) injections, and consumed 100 or more iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets/syrup during her pregnancy. Bivariate analysis was used to examine the disparity in the coverage of full ANC. In addition, binary logistic regression was used to understand the net effect of predictor variables on the coverage of full ANC.ResultsThe utilisation of full antenatal care (ANC) among adolescent SC/ST mothers was inadequate, with only 18% receiving full ANC. Although 83% of Indian adolescent SC/ST mothers received two or more TT injections, the utilisation of the other two vital components of full ANC was low, with only 46% making four or more ANC visits and 28% consuming the recommended number of IFA tablets or equivalent amount of IFA syrup. There were statistically significant differences in the utilisation of full ANC based on the background characteristics of the participants. The statistical analysis showed that there was a significant association between the receipt of full ANC and factors such as religion (OR = 0.143, CI = 0.044-0.459), household wealth (OR = 5.505, CI = 1.804-16.800), interaction with frontline health workers (OR = 1.821, CI = 1.241-2.670), and region of residence in the Southern region (OR = 3.575, CI = 1.917-6.664).ConclusionIn conclusion, the study highlights the low utilisation of full antenatal care services among Indian adolescent SC/ST mothers, with only a minority receiving the recommended number of ANC visits and consuming the required amount of IFA tablets/syrup. Addressing social determinants of health and recognising the role of frontline workers can be crucial in improving full ANC coverage among this vulnerable population. Furthermore, targeted interventions tailored to the unique needs of different subgroups of adolescent SC/ST mothers are necessary to achieve optimal maternal and child health outcomes.

Project description:BackgroundDespite the well-documented benefits of full ANC- which includes at least four visits starting in the first trimester, two or more tetanus shots, and over 100 days of iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation coverage remains alarmingly low, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged Scheduled Caste (SC) mothers. However, there is a dearth of research focusing specifically on this population. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the change in the coverage of full ANC and its determinants among SC mothers in India.MethodsUsing data from the two latest rounds of the National Family Health Survey (2015-16 and 2019-21), a pooled sample of 51,705 SC mothers was analysed. Bivariate statistics was used to assess the significance of association between full ANC utilisation and the independent characteristics. Furthermore, to investigates the net effect of the predictor variables on the receipt of full ANC, multivariable binary logistic regression was applied.ResultsThe coverage of full ANC in India increased from 20.7% in 2015-16 to 26.9% in 2019-21. While there were substantial gains in the coverage of ANC within the 1st trimester (68.4-74.8%) and IFA (39.1-48.6%), the coverage of two or more tetanus toxoid injections (87.1-85.2%) and 4 or more ANC visits (63.6-62.4%) registered a slight decline. Among the states, West Bengal (16.4% in NFHS-4 to 45.1% in NFHS-5) experienced the largest gain, while Gujarat had the lowest increase, 41.2% in NFHS-4 to 40.9% in NFHS-5. In South India, Kerala (59.9-75.4%) and Tamil Nadu (35.8-56.1%) saw substantial increases of 15-20 percentage points (PP), whereas Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh experienced marginal declines of 1-3PP. Rajasthan (10.0-21.0%), Madhya Pradesh (11.3-27.2%), Uttarakhand (8.7-21.4%), and Odisha (18.7-40.1%) witnessed substantial gains of 11-22 PP, while Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh had more modest increases of 1-5 PP. Mothers aged 40-44 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.61-2.95), those with higher education (1.64, 1.44-1.87), and those from rich households (1.49, 1.34-1.66) were significantly more likely to receive full ANC compared to women aged 15-19 years, those with no education, and those from poor households, respectively. Similarly, women residing in the southern region (2.19, 1.99-2.41) and those with high exposure to mass media (1.53, 1.38-1.69) were more likely to receive full ANC compared to women residing in the northern region and those with no exposure to mass media, respectively. Conversely, multiparous mothers (0.57, 0.52-0.63) and women residing in rural areas (0.88, 0.81-0.95) were less likely to receive full ANC compared to women with only one parity and those residing in urban areas, respectively.ConclusionsWhile national coverage of full ANC has improved, significant gaps remain, particularly in states in northern, central, and northeastern India. To achieve equitable coverage, it is crucial to prioritize vulnerable groups within the SC community, such as young, impoverished, uneducated, and rural mothers. Additionally, leveraging mass media campaigns and strengthening the role of frontline healthcare workers could be effective strategies to enhance full ANC utilization among SC mothers.

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Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

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Do scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women legislators mean lower gender-caste gaps in primary schooling in India?

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