Gender equity and maternal health in urban Nigeria

Meghan Corroon, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lisa M. Calhoun, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Laili Irani, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Akin Akiode, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Saad Abdulmumin, Johns Hopkins University
Ilene S. Speizer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Gender empowerment plays a significant role in determining maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study is to investigate whether women’s empowerment in urban Nigerian settings is associated with maternal health outcomes. The study explores and presents the concept of empowerment through a multi-dimensional approach including the themes of economic freedom, equitable decision-making, autonomy and domestic violence perceptions. The study uses baseline household survey data from the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation Project for the Urban Reproductive Health Initiative being implemented in six major cities of Nigeria. Initial results show a strong positive association between higher levels of equitable decision-making and delivery with a skilled birth attendant. Other significant results include a positive association between attitudes not in support of domestic violence as well as greater autonomy with the outcome of delivery in an institutional setting.