Iraq

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Results are from an analysis of the 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 6 (MICS6). Information on methodology is in the main text of the report and in the methods briefs.

Key indicators on the deprivations and wellbeing experienced by women with and without functional difficulties are presented in Table 1. Table 1 begins with information on the multidimensional poverty headcount—the rate of women deprived in more than one dimension in the areas of education, health, and standard of living. Women with at least a lot of functional difficulty have a multidimensional poverty headcount of 53% compared to 41% for women with some functional difficulty and 36% for women with no difficulty.

Table 1_Iraq: Key indicators for women age 18 to 49 by functional difficulty status (% and percentage points)

Indicator No
Difficulty
Some
Difficulty
Difference
between no
difficulty and
some difficulty
At least a
lot of
difficulty
Difference
between no
difficulty and at
least a lot of
difficulty
Multidimensional poverty headcount 36 41 -5*** 53 -17***
Less than primary school 34 39 -5*** 51 -17***
Owns a mobile phone 71 76 -6*** 70 1
Safely managed drinking water 68 67 1 66 2
Safely managed sanitation 92 91 1 90 2
Clean fuel 99 99 0 99 0
Electricity 100 100 0 100 0
Adequate housing 93 91 2** 91 2
Owns assets 52 52 0 51 2***
Having felt discriminated against or harassed 10 15 -5*** 20 -10***
Happiness: very or somewhat happy 71 61 10*** 52 20***

Notes: *, **, and *** indicate that the difference is statistically significant at the 10%, 5% and 1% levels respectively. Numbers in the difference columns are in percentage points while all other numbers in the table are percentages. The share of women having felt discriminated against or harassed is on the basis of any ground.

Source: Iraq 2018 MICS6, own calculations

Education

The share of women ages 18 to 49 who have less than primary school as their highest level of schooling attained is significantly higher among women with at least a lot of functional difficulty (51%) and women with some difficulty (39%) compared to women with no difficulty (34%). This boils down to gaps of 17 percentage points (p.p.) between women with at least a lot of difficulty and no difficulty and five p.p. between women with some functional difficulty and no difficulty.

Personal Activities

Women with at least a lot of functional difficulty are less likely to own a mobile phone than women with no difficulty, at 70% and 71%, respectively. However, this difference is not significant. At 76%, women with some difficulty are more likely to own a mobile phone than women with no difficulty.

Health

Differences across functional difficulty status are very small (two p.p. or lower) for safely managed water and sanitation.

Standard of Living

Rates of access to clean fuel and electricity are at 99% and 100% respectively for all functional difficulty groups. Differences across functional difficulty status are very small (two p.p. or lower) for rates of adequate housing and asset ownership.

Insecurity

Women with some difficulty and at least a lot of difficulty are more likely to report feeling discriminated against or harassed based on any ground, at rates of 15% and 20% compared to 10% of women with no difficulty.

Subjective Wellbeing

Women with at least a lot of functional difficulty are significantly less likely to report feeling very or somewhat happy than women with no difficulty, at 52% and 71%, respectively. At 61%, women with some difficulty also have lower rates of happiness compared to women with no difficulty.

More results for Iraq are available in Results Tables on the DDI website.