Gender and Household Health Expenditure in Odisha, India

Socially constructed gender has significant influence on the health and Household Health Expenditures (HHE). From the gender and health literatures, three things are clear: most of the studies are macro in nature and based on secondary data; there is lack of research on the issues of gender and health, and out of whatever researches exist, most focus on the female sex; and as health conditions are localised, there is a need for research on the micro aspects of gender and health. In this connection, the present article is a modest attempt to study the gender bias (or unbais) in the HHE based on primary data collected from four districts of Odisha, India, by adopting multi-stage random sampling method. To substantiate the gender bias (or unbais) in health expenditure, multiple regression analysis is used and descriptive statistics are estimated. The result shows that there is a significant difference between the average male and female HHE in rural, urban and combined areas but not in tribal areas. A comparative study of influence of gender on HHE in rural and urban areas shows that the influence of male on the average HHE in rural areas is more than in urban areas whereas the influence of female on it is higher in urban areas. But a comparative study of influence of gender on HHE in rural, urban and tribal areas shows that the influence of male and female on the average HEE is more in tribal areas than rural and urban areas. To reduce the gender disparity in HHE long-term and sustained improvements in women's and men's health is required. This may be brought out through expansion of education and economic opportunities among men and women. Moreover, a strong mental and attitudinal change in both men and women is essential.