Bring a Friend: Strengthening Women's Social Networks and Reproductive Autonomy in India

S Anukriti, Catalina Herrera-Almanza () and Mahesh Karra ()
Additional contact information
Catalina Herrera-Almanza: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mahesh Karra: Boston University

No 15381, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We experimentally test if enabling individuals to incentivize others to socialize with them can strengthen social networks and improve well-being. We examine family planning access for women in India, who tend to be socially isolated and for whom peer support may overcome intrahousehold constraints. Enabling women to jointly visit a clinic with other women not only increased social ties and strengthened peer engagement, but also increased clinic visits and contraceptive use. Moreover, this intervention was more effective in improving reproductive autonomy of women who faced greater intrahousehold opposition than an intervention that only improved women's own access to the clinic.

Keywords: women’s social networks; peers; vouchers; India; family planning; contraception; female autonomy; mother-in-law (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I15 J13 J16 O15 O33 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 65 pages
Date: 2022-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-net and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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