Effect of Women’s Empowerment on Child Nutrititional Status in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

Author: Patricia Faalakyer Banoeyele

Abstract:

This research examines how women’s empowerment influences child nutritional outcomes in selected Sub-Saharan African countries. Drawing on nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania, the study applies a probit model to estimate the direct effect of empowerment on child nutritional outcomes. It uses the Alkire-Foster methodology to conceptualise the measurement of women’s empowerment. Five domains of empowerment are employed to create a multidimensional empowerment index.  The results demonstrate a consistent positive association: empowered women significantly increase the likelihood of children not being stunted, wasted, and underweight by approximately 3.0, 2.3, and 1.1 percentage points, respectively. This indicates that the empowered mothers are more likely to influence the nutritional status of their children. The study concludes that women's empowerment plays a crucial role in combating child malnutrition in the Sub-Saharan region. For policy recommendations, the study recommends that nutrition-sensitive policies must be intrinsically linked to women's empowerment initiatives, specifically targeting the enhancement of women's agency over household food resources and nutritional knowledge to achieve sustainable improvements in child health outcomes.

Banoeyele_2026_The Effect of Women's Empowerment on Child Nutritional Status.pdf

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