A Contextual Analysis of Fertility in Uganda: The Role of Physical Gender-Based Violence

Sasha Frade, University of The Witwatersrand
Nicole De Wet- Billings, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Clifford O. Odimegwu, University of the Witwatersrand

Fertility rates in Uganda have remained high. One potential underlying factor is the high prevalence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Using data from the 2011 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey of women of reproductive age included in the domestic violence module, unadjusted Poisson and Poisson multilevel analysis is conducted. Women who experienced physical GBV have higher mean CEBs, even amongst factors that have been found to have beneficial effects on depressing fertility rates – women’s involvement in household decision-making, education and age at first cohabitation. Unadjusted results show the average CEB was 21% and 25% higher among women who had experienced less and more severe physical GBV, respectively; and 15% and 16% higher CEB in the multi-level models. Increasing educational levels of women and women’s empowerment as well as the age at first cohabitation cannot be done in silos. The benefit of such may be eroded by the incidence of GBV.