Female Empowerment and Female Genital Cutting in Egypt, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria

• In Event: 308 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 11. Medical/Mental and Physical Health: Session I

Abstract

International organizations recognize the important role of gender in economic, social and health outcomes. This research asks the questions of whether and what types of gender empowerment, if any, are associated with reductions in female genital cutting (FGC) over time. Using Demographic and Health Survey data drawn from a new data resource, IPUMS-DHS, we employ logistic regression analyses to determine the association of two dimensions of gender empowerment—household decision-making and level of education—on whether women had their youngest daughters cut in Egypt, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria. Women's education was associated with a decrease in the probability of FGC for daughters in all countries. However, the effects of household decision-making power were more mixed. In pooled analyses of 27 DHS geographic units, we introduced interactions to test whether the effects of household decision-making power were patterned on other factors, such as regional beliefs that FGC is necessary for marriage, household wealth, or education. None of the interaction effects were statistically significant, suggesting that variations in the influence of women's decision-making power on FGC is driven by factors that are difficult to capture in statistical models. We conclude that the impact of women's empowerment on eradicating FGC depends on the social context within which it occurs.

Authors

• Elizabeth Heger Boyle, University of Minnesota

• Joseph Svec, University of Minnesota