Women's Decisions Research Articles

The Impacts of Secondary Education on Women Decision Making of Higher Education (A Case Study of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa, Pakistan)

Women's decision-making about the pursuit of their higher education has been found to be significantly influenced by their schooling. In this regard, this study investigates the complex influences of education on women's decision-making processes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, while they are thinking about pursuing higher education. It has long been understood that education is essential for achieving socioeconomic advancement and self-determination, especially for women who have historically faced obstacles in receiving a high-quality education. The nature of this research study is qualitative while the primary data has been gathered with the help of an interview guide, (FGDs) focus group discussion. Female students enrolled in secondary, post-secondary, and higher education programs at Swat comprised the targeted population. The study conclusions show that women's early educations play a major influence on their decision to pursue further education. Following secondary education, women acquire the capacity to make decisions regarding their further academic pursuits. Similar to how women decide which subjects to study, which subject to pursue as a graduate program, and which mentor and supervisor to work under. Furthermore, parents have a crucial role in helping daughters make decisions about continuing their education. Moreover, women are empowered to make decisions about their education because of family support and encouragement. On the other hand, societal perception has a significant impact in women's education. While urban culture values about girls' education since it strengthens their capacity for further study, rural society forbids females from pursuing higher education due to the conservative nature of its culture. Women also face difficulties in juggling their schooling with their family responsibilities, but they manage somehow as their early education gave them management skills. Furthermore, because to social and cultural constraints, the majority of women in Pashtun society are not permitted to pursue higher education outside. The ratio of male to female literacy is not equal. The study strongly suggests that the media should play its role in raising awareness and launching campaigns regarding education for all, high-quality education, hiring more female teachers, requiring teacher training, and community involvement in education promotion in order to close the achievement gap and further raise women's literacy levels.

Women's Decision-Making Autonomy and Use of Maternal Healthcare Services among Filipino Women

Women's Decision-Making Autonomy and Use of Maternal Healthcare Services among Filipino Women

Influencing Factors and Coping Strategies of Women's Fertility Intention under the Guidance of China's Development Policy

With the rapid development of China's social economy, people's living standards continue to improve. However, the willingness to have children has shown a downward trend, and the fertility rate has also declined. This phenomenon has attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the influencing factors of women's fertility intentions under policy guidance. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate and analyze the current influencing factors of women's fertility intentions. Research has shown that policy orientation significantly affects women's reproductive decisions. Individual factors such as age, education level, and occupation, as well as family factors such as family income and place of residence, are closely related to fertility intentions. The dissemination channels of the fertility policy affect women's understanding of the policy, which in turn affects fertility decision-making. Obstacles in career development also affect women's consideration of childbirth. The social environment, especially family support, has a significant impact on women's reproductive decisions. Meanwhile, the balance between family and career is also an important factor affecting women's willingness to have children. Based on this, this article suggests further optimization and adjustment of the current fertility policy, such as improving maternity leave benefits, introducing flexible work arrangements, providing career development support, supporting fertility assistance services, and breaking workplace discrimination, to better meet the diverse fertility needs of women and promote sustainable social development.

Exploring the link between household structure and women's household decision-making autonomy in Mauritania.

Governments in sub-Saharan African countries aim to increase married women's household decision-making autonomy as it remains a critical determinant of desirable health behaviours such as healthcare utilisation, antenatal care visits, and safer sex negotiation. However, very few studies explore how household structure (i.e., monogamous or polygamous) is associated with married women's household decision-making autonomy. Our paper seeks to address this gap. Using the 2019-20 Mauritania Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative dataset, and applying logistic regression analysis, we explore how married women's household structure is associated with their household decision-making autonomy. We find that 9% of married women are in polygamous marriages, while 63% and 65% are involved in decision-making about their health and large household purchases, respectively. Additionally, 76% and 56% are involved in decision-making about visiting family or relatives and household expenditures. After accounting for socio-economic and demographic factors, we find that compared to women from monogamous households, those from polygamous households are less likely to participate in decision-making about their health (OR=0.65, p < 0.001), making large household purchases (OR=0.65, p < 0.001), visiting family or relatives (OR=0.72, p < 0.001), and household expenditure (OR=0.58, p < 0.001). Based on our findings, we recommend the urgent need to review and re-evaluate policies and approaches seeking to promote gender equality and women's autonomy in Mauritania. Specifically, it may be critical for intervention programmes to work around reducing power imbalances in polygamous household structures that continue to impact married women's household decision-making autonomy adversely. Such interventions should centre married women's socio-economic status as a central component of their empowerment strategies in Mauritania.

Maternal dietary diversity increases with women's high decision-making autonomy in Northwest Ethiopia, 2022

BackgroundDietary diversification is one of several approaches for improving micronutrient levels in women of reproductive age. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of minimum dietary diversity among pregnant women, explore the association between women's decision-making autonomy and dietary diversity, and identify other potential determinants of dietary diversity in Northwest Ethiopia. MethodA community-based cross-sectional study of 621 pregnant women was conducted from November 2022 to December 2022. A cluster random sampling technique was employed. A binary logistic regression model was used to explore the association between dietary diversity and women's decision-making autonomy. Adjusted odds ratios with 95 % CIs were estimated to identify factors associated with the dietary diversity of pregnant women, and they were considered to be statistically significant at a P-value <0.05. ResultsThe minimum dietary diversity among pregnant women was 22.4 %. The study revealed a significant association between dietary diversity and women's decision-making autonomy (AOR: 2.82, 95 % CI: 1.73, 4.59; p value: 0.001). Primary education and above (AOR = 4.0, CI: 2.1, 7.67), monthly income 1000–2000 ETB (AOR = 4.46, CI: 2.53, 7.87) and >2000 ETB (AOR = 6.05, CI: 3.16, 11.59), having nutritional information (AOR = 2.15, CI: 1.32, 3.51), being food secure (AOR = 2.63, CI:1.6, 4.34), morbidity status (AOR: 0.278, CI: 0.14, 0.56), ANC visits one time (AOR = 2.08, CI = 1.003, 4.33) and two or three times (AOR = 2.45, CI: 1.15, 5.24) were potential predictors of pregnant women's dietary diversity. ConclusionMaternal dietary diversity was significantly associated with women's decision-making autonomy. Thus, the government should strengthen women's empowerment, rights, access to education, and economic opportunities.

To SHARE or not to SHARE: Exploring incarcerated women's decisions about enrolling in exposure-based group therapy.

Exposure therapies effectively treat traumatic stress sequelae, including that which follows sexual violence victimization (SVV). Carceral facilities house women with significantly higher rates of SVV than community samples, yet they rarely implement this form of treatment. In this study, women with histories of SVV (n = 63) completed semistructured qualitative interviews about their decision to enroll or not enroll in an exposure-based group therapy called Survivors Healing from Abuse: Recovery through Exposure while incarcerated. All study participants were previously incarcerated in a prison, where they were offered the opportunity to enroll in Survivors Healing from Abuse: Recovery through Exposure. We used the theory of planned behavior to analyze factors that affected enrollment decisions. Results revealed that enrollment decisions among incarcerated women can be categorized within the theory of planned behavior framework. Interview responses indicated that recognizing current problems as related to experiences of SVV, holding positive attitudes about mental health treatment, observing peers engaging in help-seeking behaviors, and perceiving treatment as accessible were linked with enrollment. Negative perceptions of treatment, fear of judgment, and negative peer influence (e.g., distrust of peers) were linked to decisions not to enroll. While certain beliefs were influenced by contextual features of incarceration (e.g., peer interactions outside of group therapy), many overlapped with factors found to influence help-seeking among nonincarcerated populations. Findings have implications for how to engage members of underserved populations in resource-deprived contexts who have a great need for treatment of traumatic symptoms secondary to sexual violence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the decline in modern contraception usage among married women in Bangladesh: Applying Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis.

Controlling population expansion and reducing unintended pregnancies through the use of modern contraceptives is a cost-effective strategy. In recent years, the rate of modern contraceptive use in Bangladesh has been declining. So, this study aimed to investigate the associated factors of the deterioration in modern contraceptive usage. This study used data from two successive Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (2014 and 2017-18) and applied the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis to understand the drivers. A popular binary logistic regression model is fitted to determine the factors that influence the use of modern contraceptive methods over the years. This study revealed that highly educated women were more likely to use modern contraception methods, and their use increased by 3 percent over the years. Factors such as women's working status, husband's education, number of living children, and fertility preference were found significantly associated with decreased usage of modern contraception methods over years. The result of the Blinder-Oaxaca (BO) decomposition analysis found a significant decrease between 2014 and 2018. Respondent's age, working status, husband's age, opinion on decision making, region, and media exposure were the most significant contributors to explaining the shift between 2014 and 2018. The two factors that contributed most to narrowing the difference between the two surveys were women's decision on own health (26%), and employment status (35%). The factors that influence modern contraceptive prevalence are important to know for policy implication purposes in Bangladesh. The findings indicate the need for further improvement of factors for balancing the usage of modern contraception methods.

Midwives' Belief in Normal Birth: The Canadian Survey of Maternity Care Providers’ Attitudes Toward Labour and Birth

Background: Midwifery has been integrated into the health care systems of over half of Canadian provinces and territories. While there are differences in legislation and payment mechanisms, the model of midwifery is fairly similar across the country. This study examined the similarities and differences among midwives' attitudestowardlabourandbirth. Inaddition,wecompareditemswhichrelatedtobeliefsaboutnormal birth between midwives and other care providers.Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted comparing maternity care providers’ beliefs aboutchildbirthandintra-professionalvariationsinmidwives'attitudestowardsbirth. Therewere400 (54%) midwife respondents: 218 from Ontario, 75 from B.C, 53 from Quebec, 48 from the remaining regulated or pre-regulated provinces (six missed information for this field).Results: All midwives were critical of the routine use of interventions such as episiotomy, epidural analgesia andelectronicfetalmonitoring(EFM). Therewasstrongagreementaboutthesafetyofhomebirth,outof hospital birth centres and the importance of women's autonomy and decision-making in pregnancy and birth. However, some regional variations were identified. Quebec midwives were more opposed to epidural analgesia than BC and Ontario (p&lt;.001), and were more likely to believe that cesarean birth is more costly than vaginal birth (p=.005). Ontario midwives were most likely to believe that cesarean birth protects against urinary incontinence (p=.001), and sexual dysfunction (p=.002). Qualitative comments of midwives indicated a strong desire to reduce unnecessary medical intervention and to lower cesarean section rates.Conclusion: Canadian midwives share similar beliefs regarding place of birth, the routine use of episiotomy, EFM, and epidurals, but reported significant attitudinal differences for other issues. Regional differences may be related to midwives' primary practice settings, the historical development of midwifery in their region and the number of new midwives with less than 5 years of clinical experience. A set of core midwifery values was identified that demonstrate a strong belief in normal birth.

Understanding Urban Women's Interaction with Domestic Technologies in Malawi: Advancing Feminist Theories in HCI

In sub-Saharan Africa, women are caretakers of their homes. Despite the gendered nature of technology use, human-computer interaction research has rarely focused on women's interaction with domestic technologies in this context. We explore how urban women in Malawi use domestic technologies to support activities in their homes. We conducted semi-structured interviews, observations, and focus group discussions with 33 married women living with their husbands and other family members. Our findings suggest that women are the primary users of utilitarian domestic technologies; however, their spouses have control over how they use these technologies. Further, we found that purpose and time influence women's decision-making process for selecting domestic technologies to use, especially cooking appliances. The structure of some Malawian homes—which consist of a combination of modern and traditional structures—also influences women's decision-making process. Our findings contribute to feminist theories in human-computer interaction through the application of ecology, pluralism, and self-disclosure aspects.

Natural resource rents and public spending on education in Africa: Does women's political empowerment matter?

The increase in the number of women in political office is one of the most significant social trends of recent decades. Although still underrepresented, women's participation in decision-making bodies is increasing. This paper analyzes the moderating effect of women's political empowerment on the relationship between natural resource rents and public spending on education in a sample of 47 African countries over the period 2003–2020. This study employs several recent methods to effectively address the endogeneity issue, including the Generalized Method of Moments in System (GMM-S) and the Two-stage Instrumental Variables (2SIV) approach. Overall, the results show that natural resource rents reduce public spending on education, but their interaction with the index of women's political empowerment in composite and disaggregated form increases public spending on education in Africa. These results are tested at four levels of robustness, including the inclusion of additional control variables, the exclusion of outliers, and the use of alternative dependent and independent variables. We suggest improving the representation of women in African political decision-making. This could include quotas for women in decision-making bodies, mentoring programs for women leaders, and financial incentives for political parties that promote women's participation. Steps must also be taken to address structural barriers that prevent women from fully participating in political life, such as discrimination and violence against women.

Shared decision-making for supporting women's decisions about breast cancer screening.

Shared decision-making for supporting women's decisions about breast cancer screening.

Does Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Influence Subsequent Management Decisions in Women With Breast Cancer ≥ 70 Years Old?

BackgroundThere have been ongoing attempts to de-escalate surgical intervention in older breast cancer patients in recent years. However, there remains ongoing hesitancy amongst surgeons to de-implement axillary staging in this cohort. The supporting argument for performing a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is that it may guide subsequent management. MethodsA retrospective review was performed of 356 SLNBs, in 342 women ≥ 70 years of age with invasive breast cancer, between 2014 and 2022 in a single institution. Data were collected on patient and tumor characteristics and subsequent management for all patients and for patients with ER+/HER2-, early-stage disease. ResultsPositive SLNB significantly increased likelihood of receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (CTh) in patients aged 70-75 in all clinical subtypes (OR 4.0, 95% CI, 1.6-10; P = .0035). Positive SLNB did not significantly increase likelihood of receiving adjuvant CTh in patients aged 75-80, however, an Oncotype Dx score of ≥ 26 did (OR 34.50, 95% CI, 3.00-455.2; P = .0103). Positive SLNB was significantly associated with receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RTh) in all patients aged 70-75 (OR 4.5, 95% CI, 2.0-11; P = .0004) and 75-80 (OR 9.7, 95% CI, 2.7-46; P = .0015). In patients aged ≥ 80 years, positive SLNB did not have a significant influence on subsequent treatments. ConclusionIn this study, SLNB did not significantly influence subsequent management decisions in patients over 80 and should rarely be performed in this cohort. However, SLNB still had a role in patients aged 70-80 and should be used selectively in this cohort.

Trade liberalization and women's marriage and fertility decisions in Vietnam

This study investigates the impact of a large demand shock driven by the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in 2001 on the timing of women's marital decisions and first childbirth experiences in Vietnam. We hypothesize that the reduction in women's and men's self-employment would delay family formation and childbirth, with the ultimate impact on marriage remaining ambiguous. Analyzing data from the Vietnam Household Living Standards Surveys, we find that both men and women are less likely to be self-employed in the face of a substantial trade shock. Notably, the decreasing impact on women's self-employment becomes more pronounced than that for men post-2012, a decade after the agreement's enforcement. Employing the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and survival analysis, we empirically demonstrate that increased exposure to trade postpones women's timing of marriage and first childbirth. On average, in 2013, the BTA resulted in a 7.39- and 7.42 %-point decrease in the probability of entering marriage and becoming a mother, respectively. We also present suggestive evidence that increased exposure to trade liberalization eventually increases the likelihood of marriage and the number of children among women over 40. The findings in this study imply that policy promoting trade liberalization should consider its extensive impacts on young labor force's family formation through change in their individual economic prospects.

Abstract PO2-11-11: 'Who’s gonna take care of my babies?' The Impact of Children on Treatment Decisions for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A qualitative analysis

Abstract Background: Many treatment options exist for metastatic breast cancer and decisions may be based on pathology, oncology clinician preference, performance status, financial considerations, patient values, or a combination of these factors. Some studies have characterized the importance that family and a strong support system can have on treatment decisions, but few have explicitly examined the impact that children—and grandchildren—have on treatment decisions in metastatic breast cancer (mBC). This qualitative study examined how being a parent or grandparent influences treatment decisions for women with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: A qualitative sub-analysis was conducted with a purposive diverse sample of thirteen women with metastatic breast cancer in the Eastern United States. Women of color were specifically oversampled relative to the regional population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore treatment decision making, clinician-patient communication, and patient values relevant to their treatment decisions. Interviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, and coded by three independent coders. Any coding discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Thematic analysis identified recurrent themes important to women diagnosed with mBC. Results: Nearly 50% of the participants were women of color and of the 13 participants, 12 had children. When asked about what factors were important to them when making treatment decisions, a list of more than 10 themes emerged. Five participants said that children and grandchildren impacted their treatment decisions and were a crucial part of their cancer care. Other significant themes that emerged were side effects (54% of participants) and quality of life (46% of participants). Women who expressed that children were their top priority were also concerned about “looking sick” in front of their children. For women who said their grandchildren were the most important factor, being able to watch their grandchildren grow up was the primary motivator for their treatment decisions. Among the women who identified that side effects and quality of life were important, children either provided supportive care, helped with activities of daily living, or were too young to provide support. Conclusions: The presence of children and the relationships women with mBC have with their children was primary in making treatment decisions for their cancer. Of the participants in our study, having children—and grandchildren—rivaled other important factors such as quality of life and side effects of treatment, indicating the need to explore the impact that children have on cancer care as it is currently a poorly understood phenomenon. However, it is important not to make assumptions about patient treatment preferences based on whether women with mBC have children, instead, shared decision-making conversations should determine what is most important when deciding on a treatment plan. Future tools should integrate questions about family and children, and how these considerations may impact treatment decisions. Citation Format: Katherine Tomczik, Lorinda Coombs. 'Who’s gonna take care of my babies?' The Impact of Children on Treatment Decisions for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A qualitative analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-11-11.

Factors influencing the participation of pregnant and lactating women in clinical trials: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Poor representation of pregnant and lactating women and people in clinical trials has marginalised their health concerns and denied the maternal-fetal/infant dyad benefits of innovation in therapeutic research and development. This mixed-methods systematic review synthesised factors affecting the participation of pregnant and lactating women in clinical trials, across all levels of the research ecosystem. We searched 8 databases from inception to 14 February 2024 to identify qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies that described factors affecting participation of pregnant and lactating women in vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials in any setting. We used thematic synthesis to analyse the qualitative literature and assessed confidence in each qualitative review finding using the GRADE-CERQual approach. We compared quantitative data against the thematic synthesis findings to assess areas of convergence or divergence. We mapped review findings to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B) to inform future development of behaviour change strategies. We included 60 papers from 27 countries. We grouped 24 review findings under 5 overarching themes: (a) interplay between perceived risks and benefits of participation in women's decision-making; (b) engagement between women and the medical and research ecosystems; (c) gender norms and decision-making autonomy; (d) factors affecting clinical trial recruitment; and (e) upstream factors in the research ecosystem. Women's willingness to participate in trials was affected by: perceived risk of the health condition weighed against an intervention's risks and benefits, therapeutic optimism, intervention acceptability, expectations of receiving higher quality care in a trial, altruistic motivations, intimate relationship dynamics, and power and trust in medicine and research. Health workers supported women's participation in trials when they perceived clinical equipoise, had hope for novel therapeutic applications, and were convinced an intervention was safe. For research staff, developing reciprocal relationships with health workers, having access to resources for trial implementation, ensuring the trial was visible to potential participants and health workers, implementing a woman-centred approach when communicating with potential participants, and emotional orientations towards the trial were factors perceived to affect recruitment. For study investigators and ethics committees, the complexities and subjectivities in risk assessments and trial design, and limited funding of such trials contributed to their reluctance in leading and approving such trials. All included studies focused on factors affecting participation of cisgender pregnant women in clinical trials; future research should consider other pregnancy-capable populations, including transgender and nonbinary people. This systematic review highlights diverse factors across multiple levels and stakeholders affecting the participation of pregnant and lactating women in clinical trials. By linking identified factors to frameworks of behaviour change, we have developed theoretically informed strategies that can help optimise pregnant and lactating women's engagement, participation, and trust in such trials.

Identifies Current Trends in Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section in IRAN: A Qualitative Study.

The growing prevalence of Cesarean Sections (CS), particularly repeated CS, is a major issue in contemporary midwifery. This study seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of pregnant women and specialists with vaginal delivery after CS, as well as the obstacles that may arise. From March 2020 to May 2021, 10 women, 12 midwives, and 8 obstetricians and obstetricians affiliated with Qom University of Medical Sciences were interviewed to investigate the experiences and challenges associated with Vaginal Birth After Cesarean section (VBAC). We used the content analysis method, and the sampling was purposive. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which were then analyzed using qualitative content analysis based on conventional content analysis. The results show that subcategories "individual aspects of VBAC" and "family-social aspects of VBAC" formed "positive aspects of VBAC." Subcategories "self-efficacy" and "decision-making participation" formed the "empowerment for the woman." Subcategories "technical team challenges" and "woman's challenges" formed the main category of "upcoming challenges." Positive relationships, choice-making ability, and self-confidence impact a woman's decision to choose VBAC. Informing women of alternative delivery options after a CS and pursuing their dreams increases the likelihood of successful VBAC.

Motherhood and attitudes towards motherhood in women with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.

The aim of the study was to find out what proportion of women with MRKHS have decided to become mothers and have children or would like to have children and consider various options for motherhood. Additionally, the survey aimed at identifying factors that might influence the women's decisions and opinions regarding adoption, gestational surrogacy (GS) and uterus transplantation (UTx). The study group consisted of 100 adult women with MRKHS who filled out questionnaires consisting of 56 questions. The survey was self-administered and anonymous. Most of the study participants were under 30, lived in large cities ( > 150 000 inhabitants) and declared to be heterosexuals in a steady relationship (p < 0.05). While 11 participants had children, 66 out of 89 childless women (74%) expressed a desire for motherhood, but as many as 80 surveyed women have felt pressured to have children. The number of participants for whom a biological relationship with offspring was significant and insignificant respectively equaled (p = 1.000). The majority of the study participants supported the process of legalizing GS in Poland (95 vs 4) yet would opt for commercial rather than altruistic GS (64 vs 31) (p < 0.05). Most respondents stated that UTx is consistent with their faith and conscience (91 vs 4) and found UTx ethical (88 vs 4) (p < 0.0001). The majority of Polish women with MRKHS express the need to become a mother, but only one in ten has a child. The women's interest in biological motherhood is significant.

Impact of laws prohibiting domestic violence on wasting in early childhood.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects an estimated 641 million women and girls globally with far-reaching consequences for the health of women and children. Yet, laws that prohibit domestic violence (DV) are not universal. Countries actively debate the effectiveness of DV laws in improving conditions given the inconclusive evidence on deterrent effects within households particularly in low- and middle-income countries that have limited infrastructure, and fewer resources to implement and enforce policy changes. This is the first study to rigorously examine the impact of DV laws on women's health decision-making and the intergenerational impact on children's wasting, a key predictor of mortality. We used the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data collected between 2000-2020 across 23 African countries. Exploiting the staggered adoption of laws, we used a difference-in-differences study design to estimate the impact of DV laws in the treated countries compared to countries without such laws. We find that DV laws increased women's decision-making autonomy in healthcare by 16.7% as well as other measures of women's autonomy that matter for health such as financial autonomy by 6.3% and social mobility by 11.0%. The improvements in women's autonomy translated into reductions in the probability of wasting among children aged 0-23 months by 5.4% points, a 30.9% reduction from the mean. DV laws also reduced wasting among older children aged 24-59 months by 3.6% points, a 38.7% reduction from the mean. The laws were effective in all 6 countries analyzed individually that criminalized DV. A civil prohibition in the seventh country was not found to be effective. The effect was positive and significant for all wealth and geographical categories. Our findings demonstrate the value of enacting criminal laws that prohibit domestic violence as one important tool to reducing the profound health impacts of IPV, a critical health and human rights issue.

A 7-Year Retrospective Analysis of Hymenoplasty: Profiles From a Specialized Gynecological Cosmetic Surgery Practice.

Hymenoplasty-surgical reconstruction of the hymen-is on the rise in Turkey, reflecting the enduring importance of virginity which is rooted in sociocultural and religious beliefs. Demographic factors shape women's decisions regarding this procedure. The aim of this investigation was to delve into the multifaceted perceptions around virginity and hymenoplasty in Turkey, examining the impact of sociocultural and religious beliefs on women's decisions. The study also explored demographic influences, offering insights into the societal and cultural backdrop of hymenoplasty. A 7-year retrospective analysis of 4259 patient records (2015-2022) at a private clinic was conducted, and statistical tools were used to meticulously analyze data on demographics and shared decision-making dynamics. In the examined cohort (83.3%), the choice of permanent hymenoplasty was prevalent among individuals aged 14 to 49 years, with 58.6% being engaged and seeking the procedure a week before marriage. Notably, 91.0% were accompanied by friends during consultations, and a minority disclosed a history of childbirth or experience of forced intercourse. An increasing trend in first-time and post-assault hymenoplasty procedures was observed in 2021. Geographically, the majority of individuals resided in Istanbul, but represented all Turkish regions. Additional procedures such as vaginoplasty were common, with mostly successful postprocedural outcomes and minor complications. This study highlighted the enduring social importance of virginity in Turkey, emphasizing hymenoplasty as a coping strategy for psychological and societal challenges. The study calls for comprehensive patient support and societal progress in respecting women's bodily autonomy, urging a shift away from the cultural fixation on virginity.

Conceptual Framework of B40 Women’s Entrepreneurial Intention in Malaysia using Theory of Planned Behavior

Despite Malaysia's rapid economic growth, a substantial income gap persists, and women-owned businesses remain a minority. The study employs the Theory of Planned Behavior to create a conceptual framework for understanding the factors that influence B40 women's entrepreneurial intentions. It examines the effect of attitude towards entrepreneurship, family support, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy as crucial drivers of women's decisions to engage in entrepreneurship. The research methodology will involve using questionnaires that will be distributed to a diverse sample of B40 women in Malaysia. The implications of the study include contributing to Malaysia's National Entrepreneurship Policy, enhancing support for women entrepreneurs, and motivating more women, particularly those with unstable incomes, to pursue entrepreneurship, thereby fostering greater gender equality and economic development.