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Maternal education and infant mortality decline: The evidence from Indonesia, 1980–2015

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  • Jona Schellekens

    (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Abstract

Background: Better maternal education has been credited with making a major contribution to infant mortality decline. Most of the evidence is based on cross-sectional analyses, which show a strong correlation between maternal education and infant mortality. However, cross-sectional analyses do not provide an estimate of the contribution of maternal education to infant mortality decline. Objective: The major objective is to obtain a more accurate estimate of the contribution of maternal education to infant mortality decline. Methods: Pooling data from all available phases of the Demographic and Health Survey, this article presents a longitudinal, individual-level analysis of the determinants of trends in infant mortality in Indonesia. Results: Better maternal education explains 15% of the infant mortality decline in Indonesia from 1980 to 2015. Contribution: The article presents the results of the largest individual-level study of its kind in terms of length of the period covered and number of infants involved.

Suggested Citation

  • Jona Schellekens, 2021. "Maternal education and infant mortality decline: The evidence from Indonesia, 1980–2015," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(24), pages 807-824.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:45:y:2021:i:24
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2021.45.24
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    infant mortality; maternal education;

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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