The Effect of Gender Inequality in Education on Health: Evidence from Turkey

One of the main variables affecting the level of human capital positively is the improvements in health. The reduction in infant and under-five mortality rates and increase in life expectancy at birth are the basic indicators of improvements in health. One of the major sources of improvements in these variables is education. Theoretical literature by using various indicators shows that there is a long-term relationship between education and health levels. In this paper gender inequality in education has been used as an indicator of education. For, gender inequality in education has a potential strong effect on infant and under-five mortality rates. This paper deals with the relationship between gender inequality in education and health indicators especially for Turkey. The annual data for 1968-2006 periods were tested by Johansen Cointegration method. According to the result of empirical analysis, the effect of gender inequality in education on health is positive in the long run.