Gloria Essilfie

Women’s empowerment and child health outcomes in Ghana

By Gloria Essilfie

This study investigates whether women's empowerment, measured by education attainment relative to her partner, decision?making, and domestic violence is related to nutritional status of children in Ghana. Using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, the study examines the effect of women empowerment on child's nutritional status at different points in its conditional distributions using ordinary least squares and quantile regression estimation technique. The study observes that women's empowerment is associated with improvement in the nutritional status of children with Z?scores less than ?4 and ?3 standard deviations, for acutely and severely malnourished children respectively in the long run. The study recommends that the Ministry for Gender and Social Protection should educate male partners on the need for women participation in decision?making at the household level as well as make formal education accessible to women.