Women’s Decision-Making Power Within the Household and Use of Prenatal Care in Benin
Tossou, Emeline Jacqueline
Women’s Decision-Making Power Within the Household and Use of Prenatal Care in Benin - 2025.
90
The objective of this study is to examine the effect of women’s decision-making power within households on prenatal care utilisation in Benin, using data from the 2017–2018 Demographic and Health Survey. Women’s decision-making power is measured using two approaches. The first considers only women’s responses regarding who makes decisions about household matters, while the second combines the responses of both women and their husband on these same topics. Multivariate analysis is carried out using univariate probit and recursive bivariate probit regression models to account for the potential endogeneity bias of women’s decision-making power. The results show that women’s decision-making power over major household purchases, resulting from the combination of spouses’ responses, has a positive and significant effect on prenatal care utilisation. However, this effect is weaker when only women’s responses regarding their decision-making power are considered. Thus, households where both spouses recognise and accept the woman’s decision-making power on this matter make greater use of prenatal care. Moreover, women who have the final say alone on at least one of the decisions concerning their healthcare and/or family visits are more likely to attend at least four visits than those with no involvement at all. Therefore, social policies aimed at empowering women should emphasise the role of husbands, as women’s decision-making power, unchallenged by their partners, leads to improved prenatal care utilisation outcomes. JEL Codes: D13, I15, J12, O15.
Women’s Decision-Making Power Within the Household and Use of Prenatal Care in Benin - 2025.
90
The objective of this study is to examine the effect of women’s decision-making power within households on prenatal care utilisation in Benin, using data from the 2017–2018 Demographic and Health Survey. Women’s decision-making power is measured using two approaches. The first considers only women’s responses regarding who makes decisions about household matters, while the second combines the responses of both women and their husband on these same topics. Multivariate analysis is carried out using univariate probit and recursive bivariate probit regression models to account for the potential endogeneity bias of women’s decision-making power. The results show that women’s decision-making power over major household purchases, resulting from the combination of spouses’ responses, has a positive and significant effect on prenatal care utilisation. However, this effect is weaker when only women’s responses regarding their decision-making power are considered. Thus, households where both spouses recognise and accept the woman’s decision-making power on this matter make greater use of prenatal care. Moreover, women who have the final say alone on at least one of the decisions concerning their healthcare and/or family visits are more likely to attend at least four visits than those with no involvement at all. Therefore, social policies aimed at empowering women should emphasise the role of husbands, as women’s decision-making power, unchallenged by their partners, leads to improved prenatal care utilisation outcomes. JEL Codes: D13, I15, J12, O15.
Réseaux sociaux