Associations between spousal gender equity and recent unintended pregnancy among married adolescent girls and their husbands in rural Niger
Publication Date
1-1-2022
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
African Journal of Reproductive Health
Volume
26
Issue
12
DOI
10.29063/ajrh2022/v26i12s.5
First Page
38
Last Page
47
Abstract
This study in rural Niger examines if gender equity attitudes of married adolescent girls and their husbands are associated with recent unintended pregnancy (UIP) and ever-use of family planning (FP). Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted associations between husbands' and wives' equity (jointly and separately) and the two outcomes. UIP was less likely to be reported by adolescent girls with equitable husbands, controlling for wife's equity (adjusted odds ratio/aOR: 0.57, 95% confidence interval/CI: 0.41-0.80), and was more likely to be reported by equitable wives (aOR: 2.26, CI: 1.59-3.24). In stratified analyses, wife's equity was associated with a nearly three-fold likelihood of UIP in couples with inequitable husbands (aOR: 2.79, CI: 1.58-5.05). Ever having used FP was not associated with husbands' or wives' gender equity. Interventions targeting reproductive health outcomes for married adolescent girls should focus on spousal equity attitudes – improving wives’ equity might be ineffective if husbands remain inequitable.
Funding Number
OPP1195210
Funding Sponsor
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Keywords
Adolescent, adolescent marriage, gender attitudes, Niger, reproductive health, spouses
Department
Social Work
Recommended Citation
Ruvani W. Fonseka, Stephanie M. Delong, Holly B. Shakya, Sneha Challa, Mohamed I. Brooks, and Jay G. Silverman. "Associations between spousal gender equity and recent unintended pregnancy among married adolescent girls and their husbands in rural Niger" African Journal of Reproductive Health (2022): 38-47. https://doi.org/10.29063/ajrh2022/v26i12s.5