Women’s autonomy has long been a central concern for researchers examining the social position of women in developing countries. However, little emphasis has been placed on the measurement of autonomy, despite its importance for assessing the validity of comparative research. In this research, we use confirmatory factor analyses to determine (1) whether items thought to measure autonomy in fact...

The majority of Pakistani women are employed in the informal sector economy, devoid protection, safety, and employment benefits, which prevents them from having autonomy. In this study, we aimed to identify (i) differences socio-demographic characteristics formal versus workers (ii) compare perceived practised autonomy between two groups. We used a convenience sample 150 women, half each sector...

BACKGROUND The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an autonomy-supportive intervention based on self-determination theory in influencing perceptions of autonomy support, basic psychological needs, behavioral regulations, subjective vitality, and exercise behavior. METHODS 35 female exercise participants age 30 to 58 years who enrolled to an 8-week exercise program attended 24 exercis...

In Canada, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality. In 1990, CVD killed 36,266 Canadian women. This represents 41 percent of deaths in women and is greater than all deaths due to cancer.' On average, Canadian women outlive men by seven years. During this period, CVD is second only to joint and bone dise'ase in limiting activities and reducing the autonomy of these women.2...

BACKGROUND Despite various international efforts initiated to improve maternal health, more than half a million women worldwide die each year as a result of complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth. This research was guided by the following questions: 1) How does women's autonomy influence the choice of place of delivery in resource-poor urban settings? 2) Does its effect vary by hou...

INTRODUCTION Millions of women have little health care decision making autonomy in many cultures and tribes. African women are often perceived to have little participation in health care decisions. However, little has been investigated to identify factors contributing to decision making autonomy. Hence, it is important to obtain information on the contributing factors of decision making autonom...

Title of Document: IS EDUCATION ASSOCIATED WITH A TRANSITION TOWARDS AUTONOMY IN PARTNER CHOICE? A CASE STUDY OF INDIA Manjistha Banerji, M.A., 2008 Directed By: Steven P. Martin, Department of Sociology This paper examines if self-arranged marriages (or love marriages) have replaced parent-arranged marriages as the dominant form of marriage in India. In particular, I examine if women of recent...

In industrial societies, women increasingly postpone motherhood. While men do not fear a loss of fertility with age, women face the biological boundary of menopause. The freezing of unfertilized eggs can overcome this biological barrier. Due to technical improvements in vitrification, so-called “social freezing” (SF) for healthy women is likely to develop into clinical routine. Controversial et...