ArticleFrontiers in global women's health2026
Women's empowerment and its association with intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa: a study using recent demographic and health surveys.
Article in Frontiers in global women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a major public health and human rights concern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study examined the association between multidimensional empowerment and IPV among married or cohabiting women using the Survey-based Women's Empowerment (SWPER) Global Index. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the most recent Demographic and Health Survey data collected between 2010 and 2023 in 21 Sub-Saharan African countries. The study included 90,807 married or cohabiting women aged 15-49 years. Women's empowerment was measured using the three SWPER Global domains. Survey-weighted bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations with IPV, with adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals reported. Results: Pooled IPV prevalence was 12.4% (2.0% in Mauritania to 30.8% in Sierra Leone). High empowerment in the attitudes-towards-violence domain (aOR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.55-0.63) and social-independence domain (aOR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.77-0.92) was associated with lower odds of IPV. Decision-making empowerment was not independently associated with IPV (high vs. low: aOR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.98-1.13). Primary education was associated with slightly higher odds of IPV (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00-1.16), and higher education was associated with lower odds (aOR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.61-0.93). Older age (aORs = 1.37-1.96), cohabitation (aOR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.04-1.19), primary education (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00-1.16), parity of two or more (aORs = 1.39-1.52), several occupational groups (aORs = 1.17-1.45), and partner's secondary education (aOR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.13-1.34) were associated with higher odds of IPV. In contrast, Islamic affiliation (aOR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.82-0.96), richer or richest wealth status (aORs = 0.91 and 0.81) were associated with lower odds. Conclusion: Women's empowerment is associated with IPV in a multidimensional manner. Prevention efforts should support women's agency while also addressing unequal power within relationships, norms that tolerate violence, and barriers to survivor-centered services.
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