Table 4.
Attitude toward FGM statements, PMC-E evaluation study, target districts, May 2025 (N = 403: exposed = 205, non-exposed = 198)
| Attitudinal statement about FGM | Response | Exposed (n = 205) | Non-exposed (n = 198) | χ² | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGM ensures a girl’s virginity and moral behavior. | Agree | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (1.0%) | 3.91 | 0.048 |
| Disagree | 205 (100%) | 196 (99.0%) | |||
| Ensuring virginity and moral behavior through FGM is valuable. | Agree | 5 (2.4%) | 5 (2.5%) | 0.00 | 0.955 |
| Disagree | 200 (97.6%) | 193 (97.5%) | |||
| FGM increases a girl’s marriage prospects by cleansing her body. | Agree | 1 (0.5%) | 5 (2.5%) | 2.85 | 0.091 |
| Disagree | 204 (99.5%) | 193 (97.5%) | |||
| Improving marriage prospects through FGM is fair. | Agree | 2 (1.0%) | 3 (1.5%) | 0.24 | 0.625 |
| Disagree | 203 (99.0%) | 195 (98.5%) | |||
| FGM is a religious requirement. | Agree | 1 (0.5%) | 4 (2.0%) | 1.93 | 0.165 |
| Disagree | 204 (99.5%) | 194 (98.0%) | |||
| Fulfilling religious obligations through FGM is just. | Agree | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (1.0%) | 0.37 | 0.542 |
| Disagree | 204 (99.5%) | 196 (99.0%) | |||
| FGM protects the family from shame. | Agree | 1 (0.5%) | 10 (5.1%) | 7.90 | 0.005 |
| Disagree | 204 (99.5%) | 188 (94.9%) | |||
| Avoiding family shame through FGM is acceptable. | Agree | 3 (1.5%) | 8 (4.0%) | 2.52 | 0.112 |
| Disagree | 202 (98.5%) | 190 (96.0%) | |||
| FGM causes long-term physical and reproductive health problems. ** * | Agree | 171 (83.4%) | 143 (72.2%) | 7.33 | 0.007 |
| Disagree | 34 (16.6%) | 55 (27.8%) | |||
| Condemning FGM’s health harms is a sign of weakness.* * | Agree | 13 (6.3%) | 43 (21.7%) | 10.12 | 0.001 |
| Disagree | 192 (93.7%) | 155 (78.3%) | |||
| FGM leads to psychological trauma and anxiety. * * | Agree | 172 (83.9%) | 135 (68.2%) | 13.74 | < 0.001 |
| Disagree | 33 (16.1%) | 63 (31.8%) | |||
| Causing FGM’s psychological harms is unfair.* * | Agree | 163 (79.5%) | 141 (71.2%) | 3.74 | 0.053 |
| Disagree | 42 (20.5%) | 57 (28.8%) | |||
| FGM is necessary for community acceptance. | Agree | 5 (2.4%) | 14 (7.1%) | 4.81 | 0.028 |
| Disagree | 200 (97.6%) | 184 (92.9%) | |||
| Gaining community acceptance through FGM is just. | Agree | 3 (1.5%) | 8 (4.0%) | 2.52 | 0.112 |
| Disagree | 202 (98.5%) | 190 (96.0%) | |||
| FGM restricts women’s sexual autonomy. * * | Agree | 112 (54.6%) | 92 (46.4%) | 2.69 | 0.101 |
| Disagree | 93 (45.4%) | 106 (53.6%) | |||
| Restricting sexual autonomy through FGM is important. | Agree | 11 (5.4%) | 5 (2.5%) | 2.13 | 0.144 |
| Disagree | 194 (94.6%) | 193 (97.5%) | |||
| Overall anti-FGM attitude (% with attitudes against FGM) ± | 90.2% | 81.4% | 6.01 | 0.014 |
* * Anti-FGM statement (agreement indicates positive attitude toward abandoning FGM)
± Composite measure of overall attitude based on responses across all items
Abbreviations: FGM Female genital mutilation, PMC-E Population Media Center-Ethiopia
Bold indicates those variables associated at p-value <0.05