Female Literacy and Access to Information in Asia - Assessing Maternal Health Impacts

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the gap in literacy rates of women in developing areas of Asia and the correlation of these gaps with women’s literacy that consequently affect their reproductive health. While it is generally accepted among those who live in industrialized nations that literacy and information are related to economic progress and social wellbeing, access to them remains unequal and many who live in developing regions remain excluded from the benefits that accompany them. The research reported in this paper focuses on this problem as it relates to the lives of women with special attention to literacy and reproductive and child health issues. The first section treats this topic from an historical perspective. The remaining section looks at current conditions. A quantitative data analysis is conducted to demonstrate the current correlations between female literacy and indicators of reproductive and population health in Asia. The quantitative findings of this paper are that there is a definite correlation between female literacy and better health outcomes for mothers and children.