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


Background Characteristics Female Male
Illiteracy
Population age 15-49 that cannot read at all (%) 37 20
Educational Attainment
Population age 20-24 that has secondary or higher education (%) 24 38
Exposure to mass media
Population age 15-49 that is not regularly exposed to any media (%) 31 13
Early Marriage
Population age 25-49 that was married by age 18 (%) 51 9
Age at first sexual intercourse
Population age 25-49 that had sexual intercourse by age 15 (%) 58 39
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 6 -
Early child bearing
Women age 15-19 who have begun childbearing (%) 34 -
Fertility desires
Mean ideal number of children among population age 15-49 4.3 4.3
Contraceptive use
Currently married women age 15-49 currently using a modern method of
contraception (%)
28 -
Employment Female Male
Work
Population age 15-49 employed in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 58 77
Work for cash
Population age 15-49 earning cash among those employed in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 31 61
Occupation
Employed population age 15-49 in:
professional, technical, or managerial occupations (%) 3 5
all non-agricultural occupations (%) 30 43
Decision on use of earnings
Population age 15-49 with no control over their own earnings among those employed for cash (%) 27 -
Women's Empowerment Female Male
Decision making
Women age 15-49 who have the final say in the following decisions (%):
own health care 28 -
making large purchases 18 -
making daily purchases 33 -
visits to friends or relatives 60 -
what food to cook 74 -
none of the decisions - -
Gender-role attitudes
Population age 15-49 who agree that a husband is justified in beating his wife if (%):
she burns the food 11 4
she argues with him 12 8
she goes out without telling him 14 7
she neglects the children 17 8
she refuses to have sex with him 14 7
Domestic Violence Female Male
Physical violence
Women age 15-49 who have ever experienced violence by anyone (%) 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 (6-13 years) that is attending primary
school (%)
84 80
Secondary school age population (14-17 years) that is attending secondary school (%) 13 10
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 (%) 35 38
received no treatment (%) 20 15
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 (%) 19 20
Vaccination
Children age 12-23 months who:
have not received any required vaccinations (%) 3 4
have received all required vaccinations (%) 63 66
Vitamin A supplementation
Children age 0-59 months who received vitamin A supplements in the six months preceding the survey (%) 66 65
Breastfeeding
Children age 0-59 months who were ever breastfed (%) 99 98
Children age 0-6 months who were breastfed six or more times in the 24 hours preceding the survey (%) 98 97
Nutritional status
Children age 0-59 months who are:
stunted (%) 46 50
underweight (%) 22 22
Children age 6-59 months who are
anemic (%) 73 74
Mortality
Under-five mortality rate per 1,000 live births 149 166
HIV/AIDS Female Male
HIV Prevalence
Population age 15-49 that tested HIV positive (%) 13 10
Knowledge of HIV prevention
Population age 15-49 that knows the following ways of reducing the risk of getting AIDS (%):
using condoms 57 75
limiting sex to one uninfected faithful partner 68 80
abstaining from sex 71 90
Population age 15-49 that knows that a healthy looking person can have
the AIDS virus (%) 82 92
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 (%) 74 81
she can ask him to use a condom (%) 81 80
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 (%) 1 12
Mean life-time number of sexual partners among those who have ever had sex - -
Age mixing
Population age 15-19 that had sex in the 12 months preceding the survey with a partner who was at least 10 years older (%) - -
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 (%) 8 27
Population age 15-49 that used a condom at last higher-risk sex in the 12 months preceding the survey (%) 30 47
Household Headship Female Male
Households by sex of the household head (%) 25 75

1 Higher risk sex is sex with a non-marital, non-cohabiting partner

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

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