Gender Relations and the Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Services in Three Contrasting African Settings

Yemi Adewoyin, University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN)
Clifford O. Odimegwu, University of the Witwatersrand

The impacts of gender relations (GR) on reproductive health in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have received little attention. Virtually non-existent are studies that take cognizance of the socio-cultural diversity of SSA countries in assessing the impacts. Using Demographic and Health Survey data from Namibia, Kenya and Nigeria, this study investigates whether feminine gender relations (FGR) predict higher uptake of contraceptives and antenatal care services (ANC) in SSA. Results from univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses showed that Namibia had the highest prevalence of FGR (20.0%) and contraceptive use (57.8%) while Nigeria had the lowest FGR (5.7%) but highest ANC utilization (42.1%). At the unadjusted levels, FGR predicted higher contraceptive use in Namibia and Nigeria but became insignificant when sociodemographic confounders were controlled for. Masculine gender relations (MGR) however predicted increased contraceptive and ANC utilization in the three countries at the unadjusted levels and contraceptive use in Kenya and Nigeria when adjusted.