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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Rural-urban differentials in the association between sex preference for children and marital dissolution in sub-Saharan Africa
PLoS ONE, Volume 18, No. 10 October, Article e0291435, Year 2023
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Description
Background Marital dissolution, which refers to being divorced or separated, is considered one of the most dramatic demographic events that significantly disrupt families. Unearthing the factors predicting marital dissolution would support actions to reduce the incidence of this phenomenon. The present study sought to examine the association between sex preference for children and marital dissolution segregated by place of residence. Methods Data for the study were extracted from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Percentages were used to summarise the proportion of marital dissolution among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Binary logistic regression models were fitted to examine the association between sex preference for children and marital dissolution per place of residence. Results of the regression analysis were presented using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The overall prevalence of marital dissolution was 5.92% (95% CI: 5.83–6.00), and this ranged from 1.63% (95% CI: 1.41–1.85) in Burkina Faso to 15.62% (95% CI: 14.70–16.54) in Mozambique. In urban sub-Saharan Africa, the overall prevalence of marital dissolution was 8.88% (95% CI:8.78–8.99), with the lowest prevalence in Mali (3.30%; 95% CI: 2.91–3.69) and the highest in Uganda (18.60%; 95% CI: 17.95–19.25). For rural sub-Saharan Africa, the pooled prevalence was 4.11% (95% CI: 4.03–4.18), with the lowest (0.80%; 95% CI: 0.65–0.95) and highest (14.40%; 95% CI: 13.51–15.29) prevalences in Burkina Faso and Mozambique, respectively. Compared to women with no sex preference, the preference for boys was less likely to result in marital dissolution (aOR = 0.87; 95%CI = 0.83–0.90) in both urban and rural areas, whereas the preference for girls was more likely to result in marital dissolution (aOR = 1.06; 95%CI = 1.02–1.10). When the results were disaggregated by place of residence, in both urban (aOR = 0.87; 95%CI = 0.80–0.95) and rural areas (aOR = 0.87; 95%CI = 0.82–0.92), women who preferred boys were less likely to experience marital dissolution compared to those who had no preference. However, the preference for girls showed no statistically significant association with marital dissolution. Conclusion Our study has shown that sex preference for children has a significant association with marital dissolution in both rural and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas the preference for male children serves as a protective factor against marital dissolution, the preferences for females was found to increase the likelihood of marital dissolution. Thus, underscoring a need for anti-marital dissolution campaigns and initiatives to prioritise the sensitisation of society about the value of female children. Religious groups and leaders can leverage their platform to quell sex preferences and dissuade marital dissolution. Policies and programmes aimed at reducing the risk of marital dissolution in sub-Saharan Africa must also focus on enlightening the population on intimate partner violence prevention. Copyright: © 2023 Okyere et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
Authors & Co-Authors
Okyere, Joshua N.
Ghana, Cape Coast
University of Cape Coast Ghana
Ghana, Kumasi
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Budu, Eugene
Ghana, Accra
Korle bu Teaching Hospital
Ahinkorah, Bright Opoku
Australia, Sydney
University of Technology Sydney
Ghana, Sekondi-takoradi
Rems Consult Limited
Aboagye, Richard Gyan
Ghana, Ho
University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana
Seidu, Abdul Aziz
Ghana, Sekondi-takoradi
Rems Consult Limited
Ghana, Takoradi
Takoradi Technical University
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Yaya, Sanni
Canada, Ottawa
University of Ottawa
United Kingdom, Oxford
The George Institute, uk
Statistics
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 10
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0291435
ISSN:
19326203
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Violence And Injury
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Burkina Faso
Mali
Mozambique
Uganda
Participants Gender
Male
Female