Feminization of multidimensional urban poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from selected countries

The main purpose of this study was to examine feminization of poverty in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The paper used the Alkire–Foster multidimensional poverty approach and compared the wellbeing of female-headed households with their male-headed counterparts. The study utilized data compiled from demographic and health surveys of selected SSA countries, namely, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. It applied a multilevel mixed effect logistic regression model to analyze the effects of household- and country-level variables on the incidence of multidimensional poverty on the two household structures separately. The study confirmed that female-headed households were poorer than male-headed households. Among household-level variables, having access to finance, a higher level of education completed by the household head, the age of the household head, having a smaller-sized family, and being employed have a positive and significant effect on multidimensional wellbeing of households. Moreover, expenditures on primary school and health significantly reduce the incidence of multidimensional poverty. The effects of these micro and macro variables are found to be different for the two household structures. Therefore, antipoverty policies and programs should be implemented in such a way that they mitigate these differences in household characteristics in favor of female-headed households. © 2020 African Development Bank