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. 2023 Jun 12;23(1):434.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05590-w.

The effects of spousal migration on perinatal healthcare utilization

Angubeen Gul Khan  1 , Heidi West  2 , Abdur Razzaque  3 , Randall Kuhn  4
Affiliations

The effects of spousal migration on perinatal healthcare utilization

Angubeen Gul Khan et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Over the last three decades, out-migration has become a stable source of income for more than 12 million Bangladeshis. Of those migrants, 90% are men. Due to patriarchal cultural norms in Bangladeshi society, the migration of a male spouse may have significant consequences for the social well-being and health of left-behind women. In this study, we examine the impact of external (out of country) and internal (rural to urban) spousal migration on the perinatal healthcare utilization of left-behind women. We used data from the 2012 Matlab Health and Socioeconomic Survey (MHSS2) to examine use of antenatal care, presence of a medically qualified attendant at birth, and delivery at a healthcare facility for live births that occurred between 2007 and 2014 for currently married women aged 15-45 (N = 1,458 births among 1,180 women). Adjusted regression models indicated that for births occurring to women with a migrant spouse, odds of receiving antenatal care were significantly higher (OR: 4.1 for births to women with a domestic urban migrant spouse and 4.6 for births to women with an international migrant spouse, p < 0.01). Spousal migration was not linked to having a medically qualified attendant at birth or delivery at a clinic or hospital. Results suggest that spousal migration may be beneficial for receiving health care during a pregnancy, but not for the type of attendant or place of delivery at birth.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Gender; Healthcare; LMIC; Maternity; Migration; Pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual model of spousal migration and perinatal healthcare utilization
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Predicted probabilities of receiving antenatal care by spousal migration status and living in a multigenerational household (N = 1,458 births)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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