scholarly journals Early marriage and women’s empowerment: the case of child-brides in Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikyas Abera ◽  
Ansha Nega ◽  
Yifokire Tefera ◽  
Abebaw Addis Gelagay
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
First Marriage ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
Regional State ◽  
Age At First Marriage ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Child Brides

Abstract Background Women, especially those who marry as children, experience various forms and degrees of exclusion and discrimination. Early marriage is a harmful traditional practice that continues to affect millions around the world. Though it has declined over the years, it is still pervasive in developing countries. In Ethiopia, Amhara National Regional State (or alternatively Amhara region) hosts the largest share of child-brides in the country. This study aimed at assessing the effects of early marriage on its survivors’ life conditions – specifically, empowerment and household decision-making – in western Amhara. Methods This study employed community-based cross-sectional study design. It adopted mixed method approach – survey, in-depth interview and focus group discussion (FGD) – to collect, analyse and interpret data on early marriage and its effects on household decision-making processes. The survey covered 1278 randomly selected respondents, and 14FGDs and 6 in-depth interviews were conducted. Statistical procedures – frequency distribution, Chi-square, logistic regression – were used to test, compare and establish associations between survey results on women empowerment for two groups of married women based on age at first marriage i.e., below 18 and at/after 18. Narratives and analytical descriptions were integrated to substantiate and/or explain observed quantitative results, or generate contextual themes. Results This study reported that women married at/after 18 were more involved in household decision-making processes than child-brides. Child-brides were more likely to experience various forms of spousal abuse and violence in married life. The study results illustrated how individual-level changes, mainly driven by age at first marriage, interplay with structural factors to define the changing status and roles of married women in the household and community. Conclusion Age at first marriage significantly affected empowerment at household level, and women benefited significantly from delaying marriage. Increase in age did not automatically and unilaterally empowered women in marriage, however, since age entails a cultural definition of one’s position in society and its institutions. We recommend further research to focus on the nexus between the household and the social-structural forms that manifest at individual and community levels, and draw insights to promote women’s wellbeing and emancipation.

scholarly journals Understanding factors influencing care seeking for sick children in Ebonyi and Kogi states, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Dougherty ◽  
Kate Gilroy ◽  
Abimbola Olayemi ◽  
Omitayo Ogesanmola ◽  
Felix Ogaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Sick Child ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Under Five Children ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Abstract Background Nigeria has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with an estimated 750,000 deaths annually among children under age five. The majority of these deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea. Many parents do not seek sick-child care from trained, biomedical providers, contributing to this high rate of mortality. Methods This qualitative study explores factors enabling or preventing parents from seeking care for sick under-five children in Nigeria’s Kogi and Ebonyi states, including gender-related roles and social norms. Interviews were conducted with parents of sick under-five children and service providers, and focus group discussions were held with community leaders to assess how care-seeking behavior was influenced by four modes from the Colvin et al conceptual framework for household decision-making and pathways to care. These include (1) caregivers’ recognition and response to illness, (2) seeking advice and negotiating access within the family, (3) making use of community-based treatment options, and (4) accessing biomedical services. Results Parents were found to have a general understanding of illness symptoms but did not always attribute illness to biomedical causes. Intra-household decision-making processes were shaped by gender dynamics between men and women, and were found to have great effects on decisions to seek care. Use of traditional medicine and self-treatment were found to be common first steps in treatment before turning to the biomedical care system. Once the decision to seek biomedical care was taken, the route of seeking care varied between seeking care at chemists and then continuing to health facilities or starting with a health facility and then accessing prescriptions from a chemist. Conclusion We conclude that care-seeking decisions do not follow a linear process; that intra-household decision-making processes particularly among parents should not be underestimated in addressing sick-child care seeking; and that, given the role of mothers as primary caregivers, their knowledge in illness recognition and agency in care-seeking decision-making, and seeking biomedical care, is deserving of future study.

scholarly journals Employment Empowering Women: An Experience of Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-134
Author(s):  
Bandana Kumari Jain
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Wife Beating ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
The Relationship

The study aims to examine the association between employment and the empowerment of Nepali currently married women. It harnesses women’s employment status and their empowerment; in terms of ‘household decision making’, ‘attitudes towards wife-beating’, and ownership of the house/land’ with the help of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016 data set. Married women’s employment exhibits a significant association (0.05) with their socio-demographic characteristics, and empowerment variables as well. The employment status of married women influences their household decision-making, and attitudes towards wife-beating. The study adheres to the belief that employment accelerates women’s empowerment, still, it is complex to determine the strength of the relationship in between. Thus, based on the findings of the study, other variables and empowerment indicators are to be considered and analyzed further for concrete insights. So, employment cannot be assumed as a mere engine and an only instrument for empowering women.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Women’s Autonomy in Household Decision-Making among Married Women in Zambia

2020 ◽  
pp. 109-123
Author(s):  
Kusanthan Thankian
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Wife Beating ◽  
Women’S Autonomy ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Women's Autonomy ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Household Decision Making

The main aim of the study was to examine factors that affect women’s household decision-making among married women in Zambia. This paper utilizes secondary data from the 2013 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify various factors associated with factors that affect women’s autonomy in household decision-making among married women in Zambia. The findings of the study show that married women in Zambia are more likely to participate in decision-making that involved purchases of daily household needs (86%) followed by decision making that involved visits to her family or relatives (75%) and decisions about her own health care (74%). About 66per cent of the respondents reported having participated in household major purposes. Some socio-demographic variables only influenced women in some domains and not all. For instance, age only influenced decision-making on household goods and visits to family. Rich wealthy status, living in urban areas, higher levels of education and justification of wife-beating were influential to healthcare decision-making among women. Zambian programmes and policy initiatives should develop a clear policy foundation that should be crucial to empower women to take part in decision-making processes in the household. Moreover, enhancing their access to and control over economic resources and enabling them to establish and realise their rights are also essential means to empower women to be more autonomous in decision-making.

scholarly journals Understanding factors influencing care seeking for sick children in Ebonyi and Kogi states, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Dougherty ◽  
Kate Gilroy ◽  
Abimbola Olayemi ◽  
Omitayo Ogesanmola ◽  
Felix Ogaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Sick Child ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Under Five Children ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Abstract Background : Nigeria has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with an estimated 750,000 deaths annually among children under age five. The majority of these deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea. Many parents do not seek sick-child care from trained, biomedical providers, contributing to this high rate of mortality. Methods : This qualitative study explores factors enabling or preventing parents from seeking care for sick under-five children in Nigeria’s Kogi and Ebonyi states, including gender-related roles and social norms. Interviews were conducted with parents of sick under-five children and service providers, and focus group discussions were held with community leaders to assess how care-seeking behavior was influenced by four modes from the Colvin et al conceptual framework for household decision-making and pathways to care. These include (1) caregivers’ recognition and response to illness, (2) seeking advice and negotiating access within the family, (3) making use of community-based treatment options, and (4) accessing biomedical services. Results: Parents were found to have a general understanding of illness symptoms but did not always attribute illness to biomedical causes. Intra-household decision-making processes were shaped by gender dynamics between men and women, and were found to have great effects on decisions to seek care. Use of traditional medicine and self-treatment were found to be common first steps in treatment before turning to the biomedical care system. Once the decision to seek biomedical care was taken, the route of seeking care varied between seeking care at chemists and then continuing to health facilities or starting with a health facility and then accessing prescriptions from a chemist. Conclusion: We conclude that care-seeking decisions do not follow a linear process; that intra-household decision-making processes particularly among parents should not be underestimated in addressing sick-child care seeking; and that, given the role of mothers as primary caregivers, their knowledge in illness recognition and agency in care-seeking decision-making, and seeking biomedical care, is deserving of future study.

scholarly journals Understanding factors influencing care seeking for sick children in Ebonyi and Kogi states, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Dougherty ◽  
Kate Gilroy ◽  
Abimbola Olayemi ◽  
Omitayo Ogesanmola ◽  
Felix Ogaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Sick Child ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Under Five Children ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Abstract Background Nigeria has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with an estimated 750,000 deaths annually among children under age five. The majority of these deaths are due to pneumonia, malaria, or diarrhea. Many parents do not seek sick-child care from trained, biomedical providers, contributing to this high rate of mortality. Methods This qualitative study explores factors enabling or preventing parents from seeking care for sick under-five children in Nigeria’s Kogi and Ebonyi states, including gender-related roles and social norms. Interviews were conducted with parents of sick under-five children and service providers, and focus group discussions were held with community leaders to assess how care-seeking behavior was influenced by four modes from the Colvin et al conceptual framework for household decision-making and pathways to care. These include (1) caregivers’ recognition and response to illness, (2) seeking advice and negotiating access within the family, (3) making use of community-based treatment options, and (4) accessing biomedical services. Results Parents were found to have a general understanding of illness symptoms but did not always attribute illness to biomedical causes. Intra-household decision-making processes were shaped by gender dynamics between men and women, and were found to have great effects on decisions to seek care. Use of traditional medicine and self-treatment were found to be common first steps in treatment before turning to the biomedical care system. Once the decision to seek biomedical care was taken, the route of seeking care varied between seeking care at chemists and then continuing to health facilities or starting with a health facility and then accessing prescriptions from a chemist. Conclusion We conclude that care-seeking decisions do not follow a linear process; that intra-household decision-making processes particularly among parents should not be underestimated in addressing sick-child care seeking; and that, given the role of mothers as primary caregivers, their knowledge in illness recognition and agency in care-seeking decision-making, and seeking biomedical care, is deserving of future study.

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