Comparative Analysis of Multidimensional Welfare Deprivation among Women in Rural and Urban South-South Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined multidimensional welfare deprivation of women in rural and urban South-South (SS) Nigeria. Secondary data from Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS, 2013) was used for this study. A total number of 1965 women in rural and 1275 in urban South SS were covered in the study. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and fuzzy analysis. The mean age of women in rural SS was 34 years while in urban SS it was 28 years. The highest level of education attained by women in rural SS was complete primary education while in urban SS the women had complete secondary. This level of education had effect on their deprivation status because women in rural SS were less educated and more deprived than women in urban SS. In rural SS women have a mean household size of 6 while in the urban area women have a mean household size of 5. The Deprivation index for rural women ranges from 0.05 to 0.89 with a mean value of 0.39 in rural SS and in urban SS the Deprivation index ranges from 0.19 to 0.96 with a mean of 0.29. In the study area women had their Deprivation index between 0.000 - 0.9000 in both rural and urban SS. Women in urban SS have high deprivation compared to the women in rural SS, this can also be related to their educational attainment because women in urban SS are more educated than women in rural SS. For women’s deprivation status to be improved the rural community should be educated on the need to improve on their housing and sanitation characteristics and autonomy. Also interventions in the area of housing and sanitation characteristics and education should be made in urban SS.