Social Policy and Development Seminars 2019: The Effect of Employment Status on Contraceptive Choices of Women With Young Children

On Friday, May 3, Dr. Didem Pekkurnaz, an assistant professor of Economics at Başkent University will deliver her presentation on her research titled "the Effect of Employment Status on Contraceptive Choices of Women with Young Children". For more information on the paper and bio of the presenter, please follow the link and RSVP for the seminar by Wednesday, 1 May 5 PM.

Abstract

Childcare burden is one of the main reasons behind the lower employment rate of women in Turkey and the opportunity cost of child-rearing is high for working women (especially in higher work status). Since using an effective birth control method prevents the risk of unintended pregnancies, we may expect differences in contraception behaviour between working and not working women. This study aims to analyse the impact of employment status of women with young children on their contraception behaviour using data from the 2013 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey. Results show that employed women are more likely to choose a modern (effective) method over a traditional (less effective) one. Especially, those working as government employees are more likely to use a modern method relative to a traditional method.

About the Presenter

Didem Pekkurnaz works as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Baskent University in Ankara/Turkey. She holds a B.S. degree from Middle East Technical University (METU) in statistics, an M.S. degree in economics from METU and a PhD in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include microeconometrics, health economics, labour economics and demography.