Relating livelihood ability with rural women’s experience of gender-based violence: lessons from Osun state, Nigeria

This study established the relationship between livelihood ability and rural women’s experience of GBV in Osun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 210 rural women for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean age of the sampled rural women was 48±10 years, 83.3% belong to the Yoruba ethnic group, 68.6% were married, while 71.9% had formal education. More than half (53.81%) had low livelihood ability, while about two-thirds (65.2%) reported high experience of GBV, with the leading perceived cause of GBV being sex denial, having a weighted mean score (WMS) of 3.10. Significant relationships were found between ethnicity (χ2=15.767, p=0.001), educational level (r=10.844, p=0.013), major occupation (χ2=18.620, p=0.001), cosmopoliteness (χ2=18.767, p=0.000), household size (r=0.036, p=0.000), estimated monthly major (r=0.369, p=0.000) as well as minor (r=0.437, p=0.000) incomes and women’s experience of GBV. Livelihood ability (r= 0.200, p=0.004) was significantly related to women’s experience of GBV. Rural women’s livelihood ability is directly related to their experience of GBV. Hence, initial support networks should be created for women experiencing GBV, followed by onward referrals to appropriate specialized services in the study area.