Birth Order Effects in Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Evidence from India

55 Pages Posted: 29 Jul 2024

See all articles by Abhishek Dureja

Abhishek Dureja

Plaksha University

Digvijay Negi

Ashoka University - Department of Economics

Date Written: July 18, 2024

Abstract

Can maternal health-seeking behavior change with subsequent births? We find a 5 percentage point decline in the likelihood of a mother delivering her later born in an institutional facility compared to her first born. We also observe a 4 percentage point decline in medically supervised births for higher birth order children. These effects seem to be driven by changed risk perceptions associated with a complication free first child's delivery and increased financial constraints. Improvements in roads and banking infrastructure attenuate this negative birth order gradient. Results highlight the importance of birth order as an important determinant of maternal health-seeking behavior.

Keywords: Birth order, institutional delivery, prenatal investments, India

JEL Classification: I12, I15, I18

Suggested Citation

Dureja, Abhishek and Negi, Digvijay, Birth Order Effects in Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Evidence from India (July 18, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4908246

Abhishek Dureja (Contact Author)

Plaksha University ( email )

Alpha, Sector 101
IT City Road
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, PA Mohali 140306
India

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/view/abhishekdureja/

Digvijay Negi

Ashoka University - Department of Economics ( email )

Plot #2,
Rajiv Gandhi Education City
Kundli, 131028
India

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