Women’s Empowerment and Fertility Alignment: A Strategy to Curb Unintended Pregnancies in Nigeria

Gendered power imbalances in African societies disrupt fertility alignment and hinder contraceptive use, contributing to unintended pregnancies - a challenge particularly pronounced in Nigeria. This study investigates how women’s empowerment, fertility consonance, and contraceptive use interact to shape unintended pregnancies in Nigeria. Using data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, responses from 6,265 women aged 15–49 were analyzed. Women’s empowerment was measured across four dimensions: socio-cultural attitudes, sexual and reproductive health control, decision-making autonomy, and asset ownership. Multivariate logistic regression techniques were applied. Results show that the likelihood of unintended pregnancy was significantly lower for women who used modern contraceptives, even when their husbands wanted more children (Exp(B) = 0.485, 95% CI [0.247, 0.952]), compared with women whose fertility preferences aligned with their husbands and who did not use contraceptives. The risk of unintended pregnancy significantly increased by a factor of 2.005 for women with medium socio-cultural empowerment (SCI) compared with those with low SCI (Exp(B) = 2.005, 95% CI [1.125, 3.574]), suggesting a transitional empowerment effect. The findings support the Gender and Power theory, highlighting how gendered power dynamics and socio-cultural norms shape reproductive outcomes. Notably, increasing autonomy without structural and social support may exacerbate reproductive challenges. Addressing socio-cultural barriers and fostering support mechanisms, particularly spousal communication on family size, are essential to ensure that empowerment translates into reproductive agency. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers and healthcare professionals to foster gender-equitable reproductive health outcomes.