Women's Assets and Household Fuel Choice in Karnataka

The adverse health impact of solid fuel use such as firewood, coal and biomass is well established. Evidence from developing countries suggest that women disproportionately bear the health costs of using such fuel. Even though women stand to benefit immensely from a switch to cleaner fuel, few studies have examined women's role in enabling that change. Using individual level data on asset ownership in Karnataka households, we examine the link between women's asset ownership and the propensity of a household to use solid fuel. Along with improvements in child health outcomes and education, female ownership of assets has been shown to have a bearing on the intra-household status of women. We find that women's ownership of assets have a statistically significant, negative impact on the propensity of the household to use solid fuel.