By Laura Aquino Imagine you need to print your thesis or dissertation. You go to a print shop near Boston University, leave your manuscript and prepare to collect it in a couple of days. What would happen if, when collecting your thesis, you find that some pages were printed incorrectly? Would you have to pay […]
By Yunus Kurt Family planning is a series of important decisions on when/if to have children, and it involves a wide range of contraceptive methods. Abundance of contraceptive methods offers a larger set of alternatives to women in their contraceptive decision-making. However, a larger set of alternatives means more information to process and might introduce […]
By Vidhu Priya Mukundan In 2020, the World Health Organization reported that out of the 1.9 billion women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in the world, 1.1 billion women have a need for family planning. However, only 842 million women who report a need for family planning are using contraception, leaving 270 million women with […]
By Anjali Kini Meghalaya, located in the Northeast of India, is one of the few still existing matrilineal societies in the world. It is also one of the few states in the country where the sex ratio is not skewed (989 as per the 2011 census and among the highest in the country) and female […]
By Julia Maselli The topic of gender equality and empowerment, and the role of women in development has been long discussed among scholars and researchers for decades. During 2020, the government of Meghalaya, India decided that, among a plethora of COVID-19 policies and regulations, they would also commit to gender empowerment protocols. The State of […]
By Emanne Khan Quotas that reserve a certain portion of seats in government for disadvantaged groups are widely utilized across the globe. Over half of all countries—135, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance—have targeted women for such programs, including China, Australia, South Africa and much of the European Union. Gender quotas […]
Social networks are a key ingredient in the process of economic development. A large literature has established that social networks influence individual behavior and outcomes in myriad ways, but the bulk of this literature has focused on social interactions in the context of microfinance groups. To date, little is known about how social networks can […]
By Emanne Khan Family planning and access to contraception protect the well-being of mothers and children by reducing the risks of unintended pregnancy, infertility, infant mortality and sexually transmitted diseases. Unmet need for family planning is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries, with the Guttmacher Institute estimating that a staggering 225 million women […]
Intervals of less than 24 months between pregnancies and births can adversely affect maternal and child health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. While studies suggest that improving access to family planning services may also improve women’s contraceptive use and reduce fertility, high-quality evidence of the effect of family planning interventions on longer-term fertility and birth spacing […]
Vaccination against COVID-19, including the recommended booster shot, is a critical line of defense against severe illness, hospitalization and death. Communities with low vaccination rates may be particularly vulnerable to future waves of COVID-19. While vaccine uptake in Massachusetts is high relative to the US average, a number of eligible individuals remain unvaccinated and an […]