Women’s Autonomy and Work Status in Nepal: A Study of Their Effects on Anaemia

Abstract

This article has tried to assess the state of women’s health in Nepal by examining their anaemic condition in order to understand certain aspects of their reproductive system. The probability of heightened reproductive health problems has been associated with the prevalence of anaemia. This study focuses on a specific area in which it examines the gross and net effect of women’s autonomy and the working status of women against the presence of anaemia in women between the ages of 15 and 49 years. For this analysis, information has been sourced from the women’s data file of the Nepal Demographic Health Survey, 2011. Bivariate and multivariate analysis results reveal that the effect of women’s autonomy in reducing anaemic situation has been significant while looking at different models. No such significant result, however, has been assessed among working women. Considering this, it seems that a woman’s level of autonomy in society, along with other social–economic variables, can have a positive result on her health. Finally, the article concludes that an integrated health approach is a vital instrument in reducing anaemia among currently married women and reducing the burden of ill health on the government, the woman’s family and on her.