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Height, wealth, and schooling outcomes in young women from lower- and middle-income countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2022

Jason Murasko Open the ORCID record for Jason Murasko [Opens in a new window]
Jason Murasko*
Affiliation:
Professor, Economics, University of Houston – Clear Lake, 2700 W Bay Area Blvd, Houston, TX 77058, USA
*
Email: muraskoj@uhcl.edu
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Abstract

This study evaluates a large (N > 366,000) sample of young women (15-18 years) from 64 lower- and middle-income countries for associations between height, household wealth, and schooling outcomes, with a focus on secondary school attendance. A pooled sample and regional samples (Latin America, South/Southeast Asia, East Africa, and West Africa) are evaluated. A dual purpose is to evaluate both associations between height and schooling, and potential height-wealth interactions such that height associations to schooling vary over levels of wealth. Ordered probit analysis indicates positive marginal probabilities from height on secondary school attendance in all samples, with diminishing probabilities in the Latin America and South/SE Asia samples, and flat/increasing probabilities in the African samples. For South/SE Asia and taller women in Latin America, height associations are stronger at lower household wealth. For both African samples and shorter women in Latin America, height associations are stronger at higher wealth. The findings suggest that the height-schooling relationship may derive from the influence from early-life health, and may also be affected by differences in health and education environments as suggested by variations across regions and height-wealth interactions within regions.

Keywords

developingeducationheightsocioeconomicwomen
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 55 , Issue 5 , September 2023 , pp. 873 - 892
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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