Where women live and whether they have moved were linked to empowerment in Nigeria

A study of 37,762 women found that region, migration status, education and ethnicity were associated with several measures of women’s decision-making and rights.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

Researchers analyzed data from 37,762 women aged 15 to 49 who took part in Nigeria’s 2024 Demographic and Health Survey. They examined whether migration status and region of residence were associated with five measures of empowerment: household decision-making, financial decision-making, sexual rights, experience of wife beating and tolerance of wife beating.

The results showed differences across regions and migration groups. Higher education, a spouse’s higher education, Igbo ethnicity and region of residence were also associated with greater empowerment on at least three of the measures examined.

What the survey found

Overall, 78% of women had a good domestic-violence index, 67% had a good sexual-rights index and 38% had a good household decision-making index. In the full analysis, the reported odds were lower for household decision-making (OR 0.90), financial decision-making (OR 0.35) and the experience of wife beating (OR 0.02), all statistically significant. The association with sexual rights was not statistically significant (OR 1.05), while the odds of the reported tolerance-of-wife-beating outcome were higher (OR 1.28).

All regions except the North East were significantly associated with higher likelihoods for the household decision-making, financial decision-making and domestic-violence indices. Rural and urban non-migrants, as well as rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migrants, were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of the reported low-tolerance-of-wife-beating outcome. Higher education for women and their spouses, being of Igbo ethnicity and region of residence were associated with greater empowerment on at least three outcomes.

Why place and migration matter

The findings indicate that women’s empowerment in Nigeria is not uniform across places or migration groups. Considering regional inequalities and migration status alongside education and ethnicity may help researchers and policymakers better understand differences in women’s decision-making, rights and views or experiences related to violence.

Evidence and limits

This was an observational analysis of data from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and multilevel logistic regression. It identifies associations, not proof that migration, residence, education or ethnicity caused changes in empowerment. The abstract does not specify the exact comparison groups for every odds ratio, and the survey measures reported here capture selected aspects of empowerment rather than the concept as a whole.

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