Abstract:
Eight years to the deadline for the 2030 SDGs, child survival remains
high and a major health challenge in Ghana and much of the sub-Saharan region.
Child's survival is greatly dependent on household circumstances and the
mother's healthcare choices before, during, and after birth. In Ghana, several
policies and programmes have been implemented to facilitate women's
empowerment in all aspects of life. However, there is a paucity of literature on
how this translates to improved child health in impoverished and maledominated'
settings. Guided by a critical realist's paradigm, the study 'used
mixed research methods to examine the effects and context of women's
autonomy on maternal child healthcare practices and child mortality in the
Upper East Region of Ghana. It found that women's autonomy was not a strong
predictor of antenatal care attendance and facility delivery. However, women's
autonomy was positively associated with the initiation of breastfeeding but
negatively associated with exclusive breastfeeding and age-appropriate
vaccination. Also, women's autonomy was not protective of child mortality.
Narratives by mothers and mother/father-in-laws revealed that women's
autonomy is a fluid concept and needs to be interpreted in context, because of
the socially embedded context of family life and the role of significant others in
child health in the study setting. The study concludes that the relationship
between women's autonomy and maternal healthcare practices and child
mortality is inconsistent. It recommends the empowerment of women through
formal education and small-scale livelihood enterprises alongside efforts to
increase utilization of essential early childhood interventions towards the
attainment ofSGD 3& 5 in the Upper East region of Ghana and similar settings.
