Abstract:
Background: Women’s autonomy has been a central concern for researchers and they agree that
limited women’s autonomy in Maternal Health Care is the main underlying causes of poor
utilization of maternal health care, and associated with high maternal and children morbidity and
mortality, low birth weight, and infertility. However, up to our search in Ethiopia little emphasis
has been placed on assessing factors associated with women autonomy, despite of its importance
in improving maternal well-being. In addition, since mixed method was recommended by
researchers as their study limitation this research was fulfilled this gap.
Objectives; To assess magnitude of Women’s Autonomy and its Associated Factors on Maternal
Health Care utilization in Homa district, west Ethiopia,2019.
Methods; A community based cross sectional study with both qualitative and quantitative was
employed. Stratified Multistage sampling method was used to select 468 mothers. Collected
data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS 21.0 for analysis. Bi-variable
and multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to show factors significantly
associated with women’s autonomy.
Result: This study revealed that 66.2% of women had high autonomy on maternal health care
utilization. Women who attended secondary and above education were 3 times more likely
exercised high autonomy than women without formal education [AOR=3.2, 95% CI (1.395,
7.4)]. The odds of high autonomy 10 times high among Women from richest family than those
from poorest family [AOR= 9.9, (95% CI (4.21, 23.082)]. The odds of having high autonomy 3
times higher among Women who have favourable attitude toward maternal health care have
than women with un favourable attitude [AOR=3.3, 95%CI (1.891, 5.893)]. Being urban dwellers
[AOR=2.5,95% CI (1.212, 5.046)], delay age at marriage 18 and above [AOR=3.3(1.887, 5.754)],
and women’s employment for payment [AOR=3.4, 95%CI (1.840, 6.233)] were more likely
exercised high autonomy than their counter parts. Lack of education, lack of income, culture,
religion and lack of awareness are factors addressed by qualitative study to supplement
quantitative finding. Conclusion and recommendation: This study revealed that majority of women in homa
district had high autonomy. Over all the findings of this study imply that Women’s who had
formal education, living in households of high wealth status, women’s employ for
payment, delay age at marriage 18 and above, being reside in urban and women who have
favorable attitude towards maternal health service were exercised high autonomy than their
counter parts. So, enhancing economic status of women and household, improving their
educational status, delay age at marriage, enhance attitude of women toward maternal health
service can promote level of women autonomy
