Husbands’ knowledge of women’s reproductive rights and its associated factors in Gacho Baba District, Southern Ethiopia, 2023: a rights-based approach to male engagement

Husbands’ knowledge of women’s reproductive health rights is a key determinant of rights-based maternal health care, particularly in rural settings where men strongly influence household decision-making. Poor awareness of women’s autonomy, informed choice, and access to services can delay care-seeking, reduce service utilization, and worsen maternal outcomes. In Ethiopia, no prior study has examined husbands’ knowledge of women’s reproductive rights in rural areas, including the present study setting. Therefore, this study aimed to assess husbands’ knowledge of women’s reproductive rights and its associated factors in Gacho Baba District, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 to 30, 2023. A total of 613 participants were selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, entered into EpiData version 3.1, and exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with knowledge of women’s reproductive rights. The strength of association was reported using adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The knowledge of women’s reproductive rights among husbands was 36.5% (95% CI: 32.7–40.3). Attending reproductive health services with wives (AOR = 3.07, 95% CI: 2.14–4.43), discussing reproductive health issues with spouses (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.02–4.31), and exposure to mass media (AOR = 4.60, 95% CI: 1.97–10.65) were significantly associated with better knowledge. These findings highlights that knowledge of women’s reproductive rights among rural husbands remains low, indicating a significant gender based knowledge gap. Accompanying wives to reproductive health services, engaging in spousal discussions on reproductive health issues, and exposure to mass media were positively associated with husbands’ knowledge. Strengthening male involvement in reproductive health services, promoting open spousal communication, and expanding targeted mass media interventions tailored to rural contexts are recommended to enhance husbands’ knowledge and support for women’s reproductive rights.