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Gender Corner
Overview Country Profiles Publications Gender Resources
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Gender in the Lesotho 2004 DHS


Background Characteristics Female Male
Illiteracy
Women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 that cannot read at all (%) 5 24
Educational Attainment
Population age 20-24 that has secondary or higher education (%)1 46 35
Exposure to mass media
Women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 that are not regularly exposed to any media (%) 42 41
Early Marriage
Women age 25-49 and men age 25-59 that were married by age 18 (%) 35 2
Age at first sexual intercourse
Women age 25-49 and men age 25-59 that had sexual intercourse by age 15 (%) 6 3
Fertility and Family Planning Female Male
Total fertility rate
Number of births a woman would have in her lifetime if fertility levels remain constant at those observed in the 5 years before the survey 3.5 -
Early child bearing
Women age 15-19 who have begun childbearing (%) 20.2 -
Fertility desires
Mean ideal number of children among women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 3.0 3.6
Contraceptive use
Currently married women age 15-49 currently using a modern method of contraception (%) 37 -
Employment Female Male
Work
Women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 employed in the 12 months preceding the survey who are currently employed (%) 38 32
Work for cash
Women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 earning cash among those employed in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 2 60 65
Occupation
Women age 15-49 and men age 15-59 employed in:
professional, technical, or managerial occupations (%) 7 7
all non-agricultural occupations (%) 61 55
Decision on use of earnings
Women age 15-49 with no control over their earnings among those employed for cash (%) 9 -
Womens's Empowerment Female Male
Decision Making
Currently married women age 15-49 who alone or jointly have the final say in the following decisions (%):
own health care 49 -
making large purchases 40 -
making daily purchases 60 -
visits to friends or relatives 52 -
what food to cook n/a -
none of the decisions 23 -
Gender-role attitudes
Population age 15-49 who agrees that a husband is justified in beating his wife if (%):
she burns the food 13 13
she argues with him 36 39
she goes without telling him 24 30
she neglects the children 37 38
she refuses to have sex with him 20 20
Domestic Violence Female Male
Physical violence
Women age 15-49 who have experienced violence by anyone (%):
since age 15 n/a n/a
in past 12 months n/a n/a
Currently married women age 15-49 who have experienced physical or sexual violence by their husband or partner (%):
ever n/a n/a
in the 12 months preceding the survey n/a n/a
Children Female Male
School attendance
Primary school age population (6-11 years) that is attending primary
school (%)
88 81
Secondary school age population (12-18 years) that is attending secondary school (%) 27 16
Treatment for children who are ill
Children age 0-59 months who had diarrhea in the two weeks preceding the survey who:
were taken to a health facility or provider (%) 30 31
received no treatment (%) 16 14
Children age 0-59 months for whom treatment was sought among those who had fever or symptoms of ARI in:
the two weeks preceding the survey (%) 54 55
Vaccination
Children age 12-23 months who:
have not received any required vaccinations (%) 2 3
have received all required vaccinations (%) 68 67
Vitamin A supplementation
Children age 0-59 months who received vitamin A supplements in the six months preceding the survey (%) 54 55
Breastfeeding
Children age 0-59 months who were ever breastfed (%) 95 95
Children age 0-6 months who were breastfed six or more times in the 24 hours preceding the survey (%) 94 95
Nutritional status
Children age 0-59 months who are:
stunted (%) 37 39
underweight (%) 21 19
Children age 6-59 months who are:
anemic (%) 47 51
Mortality
Under-five mortality rate per 1,000 live births 95 109
HIV/AIDS Female Male
HIV Prevalence
Population age 15-49 that tested HIV positive (%) 26 24
Knowledge of HIV prevention
Population age 15-49 that knows the following ways of reducing the risk of getting AIDS (%):
using condoms 78 70
limiting sex to one uninfected faithful partner 82 76
abstaining from sex 78 75
Population age 15-49 that knows that a healthy looking person can:
have the AIDS virus (%) 75 69
Negotiating safe sex
Population age 15-49 that agrees that if the wife knows that her husband has an STI:
she can refuse him sex (%) 82 71
she can ask him to use a condom (%) 91 82
Multiple sex partners
Population age 15-49 that had sex with more than one partner in the 12 months preceding the survey among those who had sex during the period (%) 11 30
Higher-risk sex and condom use at last higher-risk sex1
Population age 15-49 that engaged in higher-risk sex in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 36 63
Population age 15-49 that used a condom at last higher-risk sex in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 42 49
Household Headship Female Male
Households by sex of the household head (%) 37 63

1 Completed secondary and higher
2 Cash only
3 Higher risk sex is sex with a non-marital, non-cohabiting partner

*For definitions and detailed information see the final report of the Lesotho 2004 Demographic and Health Survey

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