Women’s Empowerment and Livestock Vaccination: Evidence from Peste des Petits Ruminants Vaccination Interventions in Northern Ghana

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Small ruminants (goat and sheep) are key livestock species in supporting women’s empowerment (WE) in low- and middle-income countries. Animal vaccines are essential for livestock productivity, hence an important means to support WE. WE is, in turn, important for animal vaccine adoption. Little is known, however, of how WE is associated with animal vaccination for women-controlled livestock assets (e.g., goats and sheep). Our analysis explores the link between domains of WE and knowledge of, access to, and use of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) vaccines. Such knowledge can help inform the design of livestock vaccine systems that are better able to reach women and support their empowerment. Using a partial least squares structural equilibrium model (PLS-SEM), we analyzed data collected using the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) tool from goat keepers in Northern Ghana, which included a module on the PPR vaccine. We found a strong direct positive association between women and men’s knowledge about animal health and PPR vaccination and a strong indirect positive association between access to PPR vaccines and empowerment. Moreover, women and men goat keepers differed in the dimensions of empowerment that the PPR vaccine facets were strongly associated with—asset ownership and input into decisions concerning livestock was significant for women but not for men. Consequently, policy and actions towards enhancing women’s asset ownership, input into decisions about livestock production, knowledge of animal health and vaccines, and access to vaccines are important in designing effective and equitable livestock vaccine systems. ABSTRACT: Healthy livestock provide meaningful opportunities to enhance women’s empowerment (WE) in low- and middle-income countries. Animal vaccines are important to keep livestock healthy and productive. However, gender-based restrictions limit women’s access to animal health services, thereby affecting the potential of livestock to enhance their empowerment. While growing empirical evidence reveals that women-controlled livestock (e.g., small ruminants) have important implications for WE and support better household nutrition outcomes, little empirical evidence exists from rigorous analyses of the relationship between WE and animal vaccines for women-controlled livestock species. Our analysis explores the relationship between WE and involvement with PPR vaccination in Ghana. Data collected using the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) tool from 465 women and 92 men farmers (who keep goats) from northern Ghana, and analyzed using PLS-SEM, revealed a significant direct positive association between knowledge about animal health and PPR vaccines and a significant indirect positive association between access to PPR vaccines and empowerment. The empowerment of women goat farmers, as revealed by our model’s results for the relationship between empowerment and vaccine facets, was significantly represented by asset ownership and input into decisions concerning livestock. These study results reveal important considerations in designing effective and equitable livestock vaccine systems.