Abstract
Globally 2.5 million children under-five die from vaccine preventable diseases, and in Nigeria only 23 % of children ages 12–23 months are fully immunized. The international community is promoting gender equality as a means to improve the health and well-being of women and their children. This paper looks at whether measures of gender equality, autonomy and individual attitudes towards gender norms, are associated with a child being fully immunized in Nigeria. Data from currently married women with a child 12–23 months from the 2008 Nigeria demographic and health survey were used to study the influence of autonomy and gender attitudes on whether or not a child is fully immunized. Multivariate logistic regression was used and several key socioeconomic variables were controlled for including wealth and education, which are considered key inputs into gender equality. Findings indicated that household decision-making and attitudes towards wife beating were significantly associated with a child being fully immunized after controlling for socioeconomic variables. Ethnicity, wealth and education were also significant factors. Programmatic and policy implications indicate the potential for the promotion of gender equality as a means to improve child health. Gender equality can be seen as a means to enable women to access life-saving services for their children.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
WHO, Unicef, World Bank. (2009). State of the world’s vaccines and immunization (3rd ed.). Geneva: WHO.
UNICEF. (2009). At a glance: Nigeria 2009. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nigeria_statistics.html.
National Population Commission (NPC) and ICF Macro. (2009). Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2008: Key findings. Calverton, MD: NPC and ICF Macro.
Basu, A. M., & Basu, K. (1991). Women’s economic roles and child survival: The case of India. Health Transition Review, 1(1), 83–103.
Dyson, T., & Moore, M. (1983). On kinship structure, female autonomy, and demographic behavior in India. Population and Development Review, 9(1), 35–60.
Jejeebhoy, S. J. (2000). Women’s autonomy in rural India: Its dimensions, determinants, and the influence of context. In H. Presser & G. Sen (Eds.), Women’s empowerment and demographic processes: Moving beyond Cairo. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bloom, S. S., Wypij, D., & Das Gupta, M. (2001). Dimensions of women’s autonomy and the influence on maternal health care utilization in a North Indian city. Demography, 38, 67–78.
Visaria, L. (1993). Female autonomy and fertility behaviour: An exploration of Gujarat data. In Proceedings of international population conference of International Union for Scientific Study of Population, Montreal, Vol. 4. Liege, Belgium: IUSSP, pp. 263–275.
Thomas, D. (1990). Intrahousehold resource allocation: An inferential approach. Journal of Human Resources, 25, 635–664.
Blumberg, R. L. (Ed.). (1991). Gender, family and economy: The triple overlap. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Woldemicael, G. (2007). Do women with higher autonomy seek more maternal and child health-care? Evidence from Ethiopia and Eritrea. MPIDR working paper WP 2007-035. Rostock, Germany: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International. (2007). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 2005–06: India: Volume I. Mumbai: IIPS.
Babalola, S. (2009). Determinants of the uptake of the full dose of diphtheria-pertusis-tetanus vaccines (DPT3) in northern Nigeria: A multilevel analysis. Maternal and Child Health, 13(4), 550–558.
Mason, K. (2003). Measuring empowerment: A social demographers view. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Kritz, M. M., & Makinwa-Adebusoye, P. (1999). Determinants of women’s decision-making authority in Nigeria: The ethnic dimension. Sociology Forum, 14(3), 399–424.
Kishor, S. (2000). Empowerment of women in Egypt and links to the survival and health of their infants. In Harriet Presser & Gita Sen (Eds.), Women’s empowerment and demographic processes: Moving beyond Cairo. New York: Oxford University Press.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through a cooperative agreement with MEASURE Evaluation. The authors would like to thank Shelah Bloom for suggestions on the gender measures and Paul Brodish for data management assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Singh, K., Haney, E. & Olorunsaiye, C. Maternal Autonomy and Attitudes Towards Gender Norms: Associations with Childhood Immunization in Nigeria. Matern Child Health J 17, 837–841 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1060-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1060-5