Women autonomy and the onset of fertility change in Pakistan: the significance of gender inequality across communities.

This preliminary study examined the role of womens autonomy in facilitating fertility change in Pakistan. It explored hypotheses about whether the influence on womens status occurs at the community or individual level whether different measures of autonomy conflict at the community level whether fertility varies by community characteristics and the role of development and gender systems in enhancing fertility decline. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews with about 100 currently married women aged 15-40 years from 10 communities in the Punjab interviews with about 50 husbands focus groups and 1036 womens questionnaires. The 10 communities varied by level of socioeconomic development cultural norms agro-climatic conditions and other features. Autonomy measures include mobility freedom to purchase economic autonomy and decision-making inside and outside the home. Findings suggest that womens autonomy at the community level had a greater influence on fertility than individual autonomy measures. Fertility change was also influenced strongly by gender systems. Findings support the work of Balk (1994) and Morgan and Niraula (1995) but include other key factors such as communication channels and urban influence. Womens autonomy at the individual level acted in conflicting ways. Multicollinearity may be an explanatory factor. The shift from joint living to nuclear families did not lead to greater autonomy for women. But in-laws did inhibit womens autonomy. Greater mobility and decision-making had significant effects on fertility change. Son preference still had a strong impact.