Role of maternal autonomy on child mortality in slums of Karachi, Pakistan

Pakistan is a male-dominated society and women's status relative to men is worse than that in most other countries. Women have primary responsibility for the health of infants and small children and this is considered to be the women's work. Women are usually secluded from men and have to observe purdah (wearing a veil to cover their face from men). They rarely have a choice of whom they marry, how many children they have, and whether they work. This patriarchal structure greatly limits the possibilities for women to be active outside the home. Two indicators of low female status in Pakistan are limited participation of women in economic activities outside the home and a high percentage of illiterate women (Sathar et al., 1988).