Maternal Education, Economic Empowerment, and Infant Mortality in Burkina Faso

Education levels in Burkina Faso, especially among women, remain low despite efforts made by government authorities and development partners to implement priority area 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This situation presents difficulties for women in terms of their being economically and socially empowered. At the same time, the infant mortality rate in Burkina Faso is higher than the average for sub Saharan Africa. This study therefore used data derived from health and population surveys to provide evidence of the combined impact of the level of education and economic empowerment of women on infant mortality, using an instrumental variables approach on a linear probability model. The results highlight the positive impact of the education levels of women understood through the aspect of literacy and their economic empowerment, in terms of probability of gain, decision-making power in relation to those gains and in relation to the familys level of expenditure. Nevertheless, the impact of the level of economic empowerment of mothers remains mixed. In regard to economic policy, emphasis should be laid upon the strengthening of policies related to education of girls to ensure their empowerment in the future.