Introduction
Millions of women in the Global South face unintended pregnancies, undermining their reproductive health, rights, and well-being, and increasing maternal health risks. These challenges perpetuate poverty and inequality. Although economic empowerment and gender equality are recognised as key predictors, their individual and combined effects on unintended pregnancies in this region remain insufficiently explored.
Methodology
The study analysed pooled, weighted normalised Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 2015 to 2022 across 51 Global South countries, encompassing 432,130 currently pregnant women aged (15–49 years). Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify latent constructs of economic empowerment and gender equality, and binary logistic regression was used to assess their association with unintended pregnancy.
Results
Nearly a quarter of pregnancies (22.4 %) are unintended in the Global South. Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest rates (47.3 %), followed by Africa (29.0 %), and South/Southeast Asia with the lowest (10.3 %). Women’s economic empowerment and gender equality emerged as significant factors in reducing unintended pregnancies. Specifically, economic independence, reproductive health autonomy, and household autonomy were associated with lower odds of unintended pregnancies (AOR = 0.76; AOR = 0.83, and AOR = 0.95; p < 0.001), remaining strong predictors even after accounting for other socioeconomic and bio-demographic variables.
Conclusion
To reduce unintended pregnancies, policies should enhance women’s access to microcredit, promote shared household decision-making, and integrate gender empowerment into reproductive health programmes. However, the effectiveness of these interventions varies by region. For improved outcomes, policies must also address broader societal and structural factors.
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