Men’s Decision Making: Determinant of Home Delivery among Women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Abstract

Poor maternal health is one of the public health issues facing rural women in Pakistan. Various socio-demographic and cultural factors confine women to the domestic sphere. The main objective of this research is to examine men’s decision-making in the household in Pakhtun society as a determinant of home delivery in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. In the present study, researchers used a quantitative research design and collected data through a household survey in the Pakhtun society. The data are collected from 503 ever-married women in District Malakand, from May 1 to November 30, 2016. The results show that nearly two thirds, 62.3 percent, of men are key decision-makers regarding antenatal care utilization, and more than a third, 76 percent, of husbands are key decision-makers regarding home delivery due to their wives' subordinate position within the household. The researchers concluded that men are key decision makers and their decisions affect women's maternal health care. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal No. 3, the study recommends mainstreaming women into decision-making in the domestic sphere and their involvement in decisions regarding access to and use of maternal health care services.