Information and communication technology (ICT) and media exposures: Implications for women's decision-making authority in the Nigerian household

This study investigates whether exposure to ICT and mass media enhances women's ability to take decisions in Nigerian households. Four decision-making variables are analyzed: decisions regarding household purchases, income spending, visits to relatives, and health spending. Using the Logistic Regression to generate propensity scores and the Propensity Score Matching technique for estimations on data drawn from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the study finds that women who use the internet, the proxy for ICT, were 3.4 % more likely to participate in household purchase decisions, 3.3 % more likely to participate in health spending decisions, 0.7 % more likely to participate in income spending decisions, and 3 % more likely to participate in decisions regarding visits to relatives, compared to non-internet users. Similarly, the result also shows that women who had exposure to the mass media, specifically television and radio, were more likely to participate in household purchase decisions, health spending decisions, and income spending decisions, compared to non-internet users. However, for participation in decisions regarding visit to relatives, while television exposure had a positive effect, radio had a negative effect. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to improve digital literacy, provide affordable internet access, and increase women exposure to the mass media, as pathways to women empowerment for the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs).