Gender disparities and barriers to access and use of essential health services in Ethiopia

Designing primary health care through gender lens

Bibliographic Data

ID19593741
AuthorsAgumasie Semahegn (0000-0001-6625-8184), Yohannes Mehretie Adinew (0000-0002-0171-7789), Gizachew Tadele Tiruneh (0000-0002-5842-9518), Mesele Damte Argaw (0000-0002-9558-6619), Biruhtesfa Bekele (0000-0002-4212-1041), Metadel Tesfaye, Nebreed Fesseha, Samrawit Hagos Tiku (Addis Ababa University), Asmeret Gebrehiwet, Addis Girma (0000-0003-2800-2916), Mebrie Belete, Chala Tesfaye, Mikiyas Teferi (0000-0002-1481-545X), Hillina Tadesse, Nuru Hussien (0009-0002-8045-3749), N M Hussien (Addis Ababa University), A Austin (0000-0001-5765-6746), Salsawit Shiferraw, Sintayehu Abebe Woldie (0000-0002-8851-9960, The University of Melbourne), Muluken Dessalegn Muluneh (0000-0002-9105-6629), Lidiya Tefera (Addis Ababa University), Frank DelPizzo (Addis Ababa University), Addis Tamire, Temesgen Ayehu (0000-0002-9990-0273), Dessalew Emaway, Misrak Makonnen
EditorsJulia Robinson (0000-0003-0719-3995)
Year2025
Volume5
Issue6
Pagese0004813
Publication date2025-06-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePLOS Global Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2767-3375 • E-ISSN: 2767-3375
PublisherPublic Library of Science (PLoS) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1371/journal.pgph.0004813
PMID40540512
OpenAlexW4411484079
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited28

Despite remarkable gains in maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes globally, the lack of access to and use of essential health services remains a challenge in low-income countries, like Ethiopia. To address health service access and use, the Ethiopian government has endorsed a fifteen-year “Optimizing Ethiopian Health Extension Program” strategy. This study explored gender barriers to access to and use of MCH services in the primary health care (PHC) setting in Ethiopia. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in nine districts in Ethiopia. Data were collected using 87 key informants and 134 discussants in 18 Focus Group Discussions. Maximum variation sampling use used to identify participants.. Collected data were coded and gender-related barriers were categorized using the USAID’s gender analysis domains. The study enrolled 221 study participants who represented key stakeholders, and 45.7% of them were female. Although Ethiopia adopted and ratified global human rights conventions to protect the legal rights and status of women and children, there are gaps in institutional practices of laws, policies, and regulations. Socio-cultural norms favor men and boys over women and adolescent girls which adversely affect their access to and control over assets and resources. Power and decision-making imbalances between men and women are exacerbated by low men’s understanding of MCH needs. Women are not empowered to utilize exempted services. Women’s traditional workload in the household during and after pregnancy is prioritized over healthcare. Women face challenges in accessing and use of health services due to socio-cultural norms, beliefs, and implementation gaps within the health system of Ethiopia. It is suggested to work with agrarian and pastoral communities to overcome socio-cultural, knowledge-based gender barriers, and addressing gender gapsthat limit women’s access to available health services while institutionalizing and tailoring national gender-integrated policies to improve access to and utilization in the PHC system of Ethiopia

Business · Developing country · Economic growth · Environmental health · Focus group · Health care · Population · Reproductive health · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Child and Adolescent Health · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Marketing