Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys
Background: Women's status and empowerment influence health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status of women and their children. Despite its benefits, however, research on women's empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited in scope and geography. Empowerment is variably defined and da...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00994/full |
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| author | Ibitola O. Asaolu Halimatou Alaofè Jayleen K. L. Gunn Akosua K. Adu Amanda J. Monroy John E. Ehiri Mary H. Hayden Kacey C. Ernst |
| author_facet | Ibitola O. Asaolu Halimatou Alaofè Jayleen K. L. Gunn Akosua K. Adu Amanda J. Monroy John E. Ehiri Mary H. Hayden Kacey C. Ernst |
| author_sort | Ibitola O. Asaolu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Women's status and empowerment influence health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status of women and their children. Despite its benefits, however, research on women's empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited in scope and geography. Empowerment is variably defined and data for comparison across regions is often limited. The objective of the current study was to identify domains of empowerment from a widely available data source, Demographic and Health Surveys, across multiple regions in SSA.Methods: Demographic and Health Surveys from nineteen countries representing four African regions were used for the analysis. A total of 26 indicators across different dimensions (economic, socio-cultural, education, and health) were used to characterize women's empowerment. Pooled data from all countries were randomly divided into two datasets—one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the other for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)—to verify the factor structure hypothesized during EFA.Results: Four factors including attitudes toward violence, labor force participation, education, and access to healthcare were found to define women's empowerment in Central, Southern, and West Africa. However, in East Africa, only three factors were relevant: attitudes toward violence, access to healthcare ranking, and labor force participation. There was limited evidence to support household decision-making, life course, or legal status domains as components of women's empowerment.Conclusion: This foremost study advances scholarship on women's empowerment by providing a validated measure of women's empowerment for researchers and other stakeholders in health and development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:23:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-216fa0a2617f47a187734a4539c9667a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:23:54Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-216fa0a2617f47a187734a4539c9667a2022-12-21T18:18:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782018-06-01910.3389/fpsyg.2018.00994361050Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health SurveysIbitola O. Asaolu0Halimatou Alaofè1Jayleen K. L. Gunn2Akosua K. Adu3Amanda J. Monroy4John E. Ehiri5Mary H. Hayden6Kacey C. Ernst7Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United StatesSchool of Geography and Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesDepartment of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesClimate Science and Applications Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United StatesBackground: Women's status and empowerment influence health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status of women and their children. Despite its benefits, however, research on women's empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited in scope and geography. Empowerment is variably defined and data for comparison across regions is often limited. The objective of the current study was to identify domains of empowerment from a widely available data source, Demographic and Health Surveys, across multiple regions in SSA.Methods: Demographic and Health Surveys from nineteen countries representing four African regions were used for the analysis. A total of 26 indicators across different dimensions (economic, socio-cultural, education, and health) were used to characterize women's empowerment. Pooled data from all countries were randomly divided into two datasets—one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the other for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)—to verify the factor structure hypothesized during EFA.Results: Four factors including attitudes toward violence, labor force participation, education, and access to healthcare were found to define women's empowerment in Central, Southern, and West Africa. However, in East Africa, only three factors were relevant: attitudes toward violence, access to healthcare ranking, and labor force participation. There was limited evidence to support household decision-making, life course, or legal status domains as components of women's empowerment.Conclusion: This foremost study advances scholarship on women's empowerment by providing a validated measure of women's empowerment for researchers and other stakeholders in health and development.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00994/fullwomen's empowermentgender equalityexploratory factor analysisconfirmatory factor analysisSub-Saharan Africa |
| spellingShingle | Ibitola O. Asaolu Halimatou Alaofè Jayleen K. L. Gunn Akosua K. Adu Amanda J. Monroy John E. Ehiri Mary H. Hayden Kacey C. Ernst Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys Frontiers in Psychology women's empowerment gender equality exploratory factor analysis confirmatory factor analysis Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title | Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full | Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_fullStr | Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_short | Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys |
| title_sort | measuring women s empowerment in sub saharan africa exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the demographic and health surveys |
| topic | women's empowerment gender equality exploratory factor analysis confirmatory factor analysis Sub-Saharan Africa |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00994/full |
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