Background: Gender inequality is a pervasive problem in sub-Saharan
Africa, and has negative effects on health and development. Objective:
Here, we sought to identify socioeconomic predictors of gender
inequality (measured by low decision-making power and high acceptance
of intimate partner violence) within heterosexual couples expecting a
child in south-central Uganda. Method: We used data from a two-arm
cluster randomized controlled HIV self-testing intervention trial
conducted in three antenatal clinics in south-central Uganda among
1,618 enrolled women and 1,198 male partners. Analysis included Cochran
Mantel-Haenzel, proportional odds models, logistic regression, and
generalized linear mixed model framework to account for site-level
clustering. Results: Overall, we found that 31.1% of men had high
acceptance of IPV, and 15.9% of women had low decision-making power. We
found religion, education, HIV status, age, and marital status to
significantly predict gender equality. Specifically, we observed lower
gender equality among Catholics, those with lower education, those who
were married, HIV positive women, and older women. Conclusion: By
better understanding the prevalence and predictors of gender
inequality, this knowledge will allow us to better target interventions
(increasing education, reducing HIV prevalence in women, targeting
interventions different religions and married couples) to decrease
inequalities and improve health care delivery to underserved
populations in Uganda