Women's empowerment and its association with intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa: a study using recent demographic and health surveys.

Authors

John Mugisha, Theophile Dushimirimana, Munawar Harun Koray

Published in

Frontiers in global women's health. Volume 7. Pages 1929589. Epub Oct 07, 2026.

Abstract

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.
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.
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.
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.

PMID:
42908622
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

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