American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Women Left Behind: Gender Disparities in Utilization of Government Health Insurance in India
American Economic Review
vol. 114,
no. 10, October 2024
(pp. 3345–85)
Abstract
We document large gender disparities within a government program that entitles 46 million poor individuals to free hospital care. We show that care is not free in practice and higher costs are associated with larger disparities. Lowering care costs increases female utilization but does not reduce gender disparities because marginal beneficiaries are as likely to be male as inframarginals. Long-term exposure to local female leaders reduces disparities by addressing factors lowering female care. In the presence of gender bias, subsidizing social services may fail to address gender inequalities without actions that specifically target females.Citation
Dupas, Pascaline, and Radhika Jain. 2024. "Women Left Behind: Gender Disparities in Utilization of Government Health Insurance in India." American Economic Review, 114 (10): 3345–85. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20230521Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H51 National Government Expenditures and Health
- I12 Health Behavior
- I13 Health Insurance, Public and Private
- I14 Health and Inequality
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration