SOCIOECONOMIC VARIATIONS IN INDUCED ABORTION IN TURKEY

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Socioeconomic factors significantly influence access to and utilization of reproductive health services.
• Understanding income-related inequalities in induced abortion is crucial for developing equitable health policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify socioeconomic variations in induced abortion among Turkish women.
• To analyze changes in these inequalities between 2003 and 2008.
• To decompose the contributions of socioeconomic factors to these inequalities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 15,480 ever-married women (15-49 years) from the 2003 and 2008 Turkish Demographic and Health Surveys.
• Employed ordinary least squares analysis and concentration indices to measure and decompose inequalities.
• Applied Wagstaff et al.'s (2003) approach to analyze changes in inequality over time.

Main Results:

• Higher socioeconomic status (wealth, education, neighborhood) correlated with higher induced abortion rates.
• While deprived women's familiarity with abortion increased, it remained more concentrated among affluent women in 2008.
• Wealth, age, education, and regional development level were key contributors to income-related abortion inequality.

Conclusions:

• Despite some progress, significant socioeconomic disparities persist in induced abortion in Turkey.
• Policies should focus on enhancing wealth and education for deprived women, developing disadvantaged regions, and improving family planning accessibility, especially for rural and deprived populations.