scholarly journals Women’s Agency in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia: The Role of Parenthood and Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Friedrich ◽  
Henriette Engelhardt ◽  
Florian Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Women's Agency ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Panel Surveys ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Women’S Agency ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Women in Middle Eastern and North African countries continue to report low levels of agency, despite their increasing educational attainment and declining fertility rates. We address this paradox by considering how women’s agency is linked to parenthood in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia and how this association is moderated by their level of education. We study three dimensions of instrumental agency: involvement in decision-making, financial autonomy, and freedom of movement using data for married women aged 18–49 from the Integrated Labor Market Panel Surveys: Egypt 2012 (n = 7622), Jordan 2016 (n = 4550), Tunisia 2014 (n = 1480). Results from multivariate regression models of these different dimensions demonstrate that married women who are mothers generally exhibit higher levels of agency than their counterparts who are childless, though this does not hold for every dimension and the strength of the association between parenthood and agency differs by dimension and country. We find a notable exception to this pattern of positive association in the Egyptian sample: parenthood decreases agency among Egyptian women with post-secondary education. Our results suggest that parenthood may only increase women’s agency in settings with deeply entrenched patriarchal norms that imply little education for women.

scholarly journals Empowerment and use of modern contraceptive methods among married women in Burkina Faso: a multilevel analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Y. M. Some ◽  
Christy Pu ◽  
Song-Lih Huang
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Marital Relationships ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Women's Agency ◽  
Modern Methods ◽  
Women’S Agency

Abstract Background In Burkina Faso, gender inequality prevents women from meeting their reproductive needs, leading to high rates of unintended pregnancies, abortions and deaths. Evidence shows that empowering women may increase the proportion of demand for family planning satisfied using modern methods (mDFPS), but few studies have measured this process in multiple spheres of life. We investigated how empowerment influences the mDFPS among married women of reproductive age (MWRA) in Burkina Faso. Methods We analyzed data from the 2010 Burkina Faso Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) on 4714 MWRA with reproductive needs living in 573 communities. We used principal component analysis (PCA) and Cronbach’s alpha test to explore and assess specific and consistently relevant components of women’s agency in marital relationships. Aggregated measures at the cluster level were used to assess gender norms and relationships in communities. Descriptive statistics were performed and multilevel logistic regression models were carried out to concurrently gauge the effects of women’s agency and community-level of gender equality on mDFPS, controlling for socioeconomic factors. Results Overall, less than one-third (30.8%) of the demand for family planning among MWRA were satisfied with modern methods. Participation in household decision-making, freedom in accessing healthcare, and opposition to domestic violence were underlying components of women’s agency in marital relationships. In the full model adjusted for socioeconomic status, freedom in accessing healthcare was significantly (aOR 1.27, CI 1.06–1.51) associated with mDFPS. For community-level variables, women’s greater access to assets (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.13–2.61) and family planning messages (aOR 2.68, 95% CI 1.64–4.36) increased mDFPS, while higher fertility expectations (aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64–0.87) reduced it. Unexpectedly, women in communities with higher rates of female genital mutilation were more likely (aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.52–3.99) to have mDFPS. Conclusions Empowering women has the potential to reduce gender inequality, raise women’s agency and increase mDFPS. This influence may occur through both balanced marital relationships and fair community gender norms and relationships. Progress toward universal access to reproductive services should integrate the promotion of women’s rights. Trial registration No clinical trial has been performed in this study.

Ethnicity and Intimate Partner Violence in Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 2958-2981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sitawa Kimuna ◽  
Eric Y. Tenkorang ◽  
Yanyi Djamba
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Kenyan Women ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Relationship

Anecdotal evidence in several sub-Saharan African countries, including Kenya, suggests a complex relationship between ethnicity and intimate partner violence (IPV). Yet very few studies examine the relationship between these two important variables. We use a sample of 4,512 ever-married women from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) to explore the relationship between ethnicity and three dimensions of IPV (physical, sexual, and emotional) among Kenyan women. Results show significant relationships between ethnicity and physical, sexual, and emotional violence. Compared with Kikuyu women, Luo and Luhya women were significantly more likely to report having experienced all three types of violence. The addition of socioeconomic variables reduced the risks of experiencing IPV among Luo and Luhya women significantly, but not completely. These findings suggest that beyond their socioeconomic vulnerabilities, there may be some intrinsic cultural characteristics that expose Luo and Luhya women to IPV in Kenya.

scholarly journals Dangerously informed: Voter information and pre-electoral violence in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inken von Borzyskowski ◽  
Patrick M Kuhn
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Institutional Constraints ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Campaign Strategy ◽  
Electoral Violence ◽  
Voter Information ◽  
Good Proxy ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Election Violence ◽  
The Impact

A considerable literature examines the effect of voter information on candidate strategies and voter–politician interactions in the developing world. The voter information literature argues that information can improve accountability because more informed voters are harder to woo with traditional campaign tools, such as ethnic appeals and vote-buying. However, this literature has largely ignored the reaction of political candidates and thus may reach conclusions that are overly optimistic regarding the impact of information on electoral accountability. We argue that voter information can increase electoral violence in developing countries where politicians face fewer institutional constraints on their campaign tactics. When violence is used as a campaign strategy, more informed electorates are more at risk because they are harder to sway through alternative campaign techniques. Using data from 35 African countries, we show that respondents receiving their news predominantly from newspapers are a good proxy for informed voters because they differ in terms of their political attitudes from respondents consuming no news or receiving it via other channels. Combining the geo-coded survey data with pre-electoral violence event data, we find a robust positive association between newspaper readership and fear of and exposure to campaign violence. This finding contributes to the micro-foundations of election violence and adds a cautionary note for voter information programs.

Toward a Systems Quality Paradigm: Relating Health Outcomes, Resource Expenditures, and Appropriateness of Cholecystectomy Patients

1997 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Bradbury ◽  
J. H. Golec ◽  
P. M. Steen
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Severity Of Illness ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Systems Quality ◽  
Patient Variables ◽  
Using Data

This study addresses the question for cholecystectomy patients of whether there is an association among manifesting better health outcomes and the quantity of hospital resources consumed when the appropriateness of this surgery is also considered. 10 043 cholecystectomies performed by 218 surgeons in 43 Pennsylvanian hospitals are analysed using data from an administrative data set. Performance measures are adjusted for admission severity of illness and other patient variables. The results demonstrate a statistically significant positive association between adjusted hospital total charges and adjusted morbidity controlling for whether specified clinical criteria are met that validate the need for a cholecystectomy. This study illustrates a systems quality paradigm wherein performance is examined in terms of health outcomes, appropriateness and resource expenditures, as well as the relationships among these three dimensions.

scholarly journals Remittances, Remittance Concentration, and Volatility: Is Africa Different from the Middle East?

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Amr Hosny
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Nominal Exchange Rate ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Gdp Growth ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Real Gdp ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

This paper makes a new contribution to the empirical literature on the macroeconomic consequences of remittances using data over 1970-2015 period for 56 African and Middle Eastern countries to study the impact of (i) large remittance inflows and (ii) high concentration of origin of remittance on the volatilities of real GDP growth, exports-to-GDP ratio, nominal exports growth and nominal exchange rate depreciation. We find that (i) large remittances can reduce all types of volatility, especially in African countries, and (ii) high remittance concentration, by itself, has been associated with higher volatilities in African but not Middle Eastern countries, and that having both high remittances, but also high concentration aggravates all types of volatility in both regions, although results for the Middle East are not always conclusive.

scholarly journals The Pitfalls of Disentangling Women’s Agency from Accountability for Gender Equality Outcomes

2018 ◽  
pp. 57-87
Author(s):  
Mariz Tadros
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Woman Question ◽  
Feminist Scholarship ◽  
Women's Agency ◽  
Egyptian Revolution ◽  
Middle Eastern Women ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Western Scholarship ◽  
Women’S Agency

The representation of Middle Eastern women in Western scholarship in particular has been critiqued in post colonialist and feminist scholarship for its racist underpinnings embedded in broader colonialist constructs. This rich body of scholarship has contributed to a paradigmatic shift in how the “woman question” is addressed in western academic engagement with women in the Middle East. This article, however, interrogates whether the counter-narratives have created new binary constructs in their representations of women’s agency whose impact has been detrimental to local feminist struggles for gender equality. It explores the problematics of using an analytical framing that disassociates expressions of women’s collective agency from the gender equality agenda and its implications for coalitional work by looking at examples from the early 20th century as well as in the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution of 2011.  

The Impact of Alternative Telework Arrangements on Organizational Commitment: Insights from a Longitudinal Field Experiment (Retracted)

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Hunton ◽  
Carolyn Strand Norman
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Task

ABSTRACT: While the structure of telecommuting, or telework, varies across companies, most arrangements offer employees the option to perform their work responsibilities from various locations. A number of factors provide a compelling case for employers to consider such arrangements for their employees, such as motivating better performance and fostering commitment to the organization. Using data that were collected during the longitudinal experiment reported in Hunton (2005), the present study seeks to better understand how organizations might achieve these goals by examining the impact of alternative telework arrangements on the organizational commitment of employees and by evaluating the relationships among telework arrangements, organizational commitment, and task performance. Participants in three of the telework conditions exhibited significant increases in affective, continuance, and normative commitment, relative to a control group; however, in one of the telework conditions (working exclusively at home), organizational commitment was equivalent to the control group. While we postulated that participants with higher numbers of work location alternatives would exhibit greater increases across all three dimensions of organizational commitment, this expectation was only marginally supported. Finally, we report a positive association between organizational commitment and task performance across the treatment conditions and find that organizational commitment mediates the relationship between the telework arrangements and task performance.

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