Rich-Poor Gap and Health Inequality Among Married Women in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The study empirically investigates severity of the rich-poor gap and its implications on health inequality among married women in Pakistan using micro-data set of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDSH) 2012-13. It is widely recognized that people’s equitable access to health care services is vital to sustaining good health which depends primarily on income levels and the cost and availability of quality health services. The study determines several indicators to measure rich-poor gap within the scope of PDSH data. The analyses include only women aged 15 to 49 and findings are supported with econometric analysis under cross-section technique using Logit regression. Inequalities are measured with several indexes e.g. Odds Ratio (OR) and Relative Index of inequality (RII). The results indicate that rich-poor gap is high between the provinces than within the provinces of Pakistan. The results also indicate that rich-poor gap is significantly affecting health inequality among married women in Pakistan. People with low income do not observed in taking reasonable health care services, and people with high income enjoys required health care services for married women.