Female genital cutting and maternal attitudes about it: Testing a cultural disempowerment hypothesis across two large multi-country samples

Maternal attitudes strongly predict daughter FGC status, with the association being significantly stronger in regions where FGC is less prevalent, across two large multi-country samples.

• Why it matters: Understanding how cultural and social dynamics influence FGC practices is crucial for developing effective interventions, especially since high prevalence regions may restrict maternal agency.
• What they did: Researchers analyzed data from 176,728 participants across 15 African and Asian countries, using multilevel logistic regression to examine the link between mother attitudes and daughter FGC status, considering regional prevalence.
• The result: Findings suggest that in areas with lower FGC prevalence, maternal attitudes are more predictive of daughter FGC status, implying that high prevalence may reflect social conditions that limit mother decision-making regarding FGC.