Women’s Education: Harbinger of Another Spring? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Turkey

B-Tier
Journal: World Development
Year: 2014
Volume: 64
Issue: C
Pages: 243-258

Authors (3)

Dinçer, Mehmet Alper (not in RePEc) Kaushal, Neeraj (not in RePEc) Grossman, Michael (City University of New York (C...)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We use Turkey’s 1997 Education Law that increased compulsory schooling from 5 to 8years to study the effect of education on women’s fertility and empowerment. Using an instrumental variables methodology, we find that a 10 percentage-point increase in the proportion of ever-married women with eight-years of schooling lowered pregnancies by 0.13 per woman; increased the proportion paying an antenatal-visit during the first trimester by 6 percentage points; using contraceptives by eight points and with knowledge of the ovulation cycle by five points. There is weak evidence that schooling decreased child mortality; no evidence that it changed attitudes toward gender inequality.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:wdevel:v:64:y:2014:i:c:p:243-258
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25