This article provides evidence from a community-level study in rural Nepal of the mechanisms by
which schooling affects maternal behaviour and infant and child health. Two hypotheses
concerning the mechanisms are identified and tested. It was found that schooling equips women
with specific skills and dispositions or identity which significantly predict two principal domains
of health-care behaviour: use of medical services; and changes in household health behaviour. It
was also found that women with schooling had healthier children using height-for-age as an
indicator of health.