Examining the Interlinkages of Women’s Economic Empowerment and Reproductive Health in Tanzania

Esther Dungumaro, University of Dar es Salaam

Women’s economic empowerment is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action in 1994 clearly stipulated the importance of women’s economic empowerment and their improved health. Increasingly, women’s economic empowerment is used as an approach to poverty reduction, improve health and child wellbeing. The present paper examines the interlinkages between women’s economic empowerment and reproductive health in Tanzania. The paper uses the Tanzanian Demographic and Health Survey Data (TDHS) 2015-16. Analysis is mostly descriptive. However, multivariate analysis was also done using dimensions of women’s economic empowerment on reproductive health outcomes. Multivariate analysis results are found to be inline with those of descriptive analysis suggesting interlinkages between women’s economic empowerment and reproductive health outcomes. Result shows that all the covariates for women’s economic empowerment are significantly associated with the use of modern contraceptive methods and institutional delivery.