PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

3.3 LITERACY
In the Ethiopia DHS, literacy was determined by a respondent’s ability to read part or all of a
sentence in any language that the respondent was familiar with. The questions assessing literacy were
asked only of respondents who have not attended school or have attended primary school only. Literacy
is widely acknowledged as benefiting both the individual and society and is associated with a number
of positive outcomes for health and nutrition.
Table 3.4 shows that only 19 percent of women and 40 percent of men are literate, while
6 percent of women and 13 percent of men are only partially literate. There is a much lower literacy
level among rural women and men than among those living in the urban areas. Literacy levels vary
widely among regions, from a high of 68 percent among women in Addis Ababa to a low of 9 percent
of women in the Somali Region. Literacy among men ranges from a high of 87 percent in Addis Ababa
to a low of 16 percent in the Somali Region.
3.4 EXPOSURE TO MASS MEDIA
The Ethiopia DHS collected information on the exposure of respondents to both the broadcast
and print media. This information is important because it provides an indication of the exposure of
women to the mass media and is used to disseminate family planning, health, and other information.
Access to mass media is generally low in Ethiopia. Table 3.5 shows that 86 percent of women and
73 percent of men have no exposure to the mass media. Generally men have a higher exposure to the
mass media than women. Listening to the radio is the most common way of accessing the media.
Nevertheless, only about one in ten women and one in four men listen to the radio at least once a week.
Media exposure varies with the age of the respondent. Men and women in the older age groups
tend to listen to the radio or read a newspaper less frequently than younger men and women. There are
significant geographic differences in media exposure. Urban women and men have better access to all
three media sources than their rural counterparts. Due to lower literacy levels, rural women are much
less likely to report that they read a newspaper at least once a week. Despite the place of residence, the
level of exposure of women and men to radio broadcasts is greater than all other media sources. Very
likely due to the greater ownership of a television set, women and men residing in urban areas have a
much greater exposure to television than rural women and men. Among the regions, women and men
residing in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and the Harari Region have a greater exposure to all three media,
compared with other regions, since these areas are relatively more urban. Women and men residing in
the Amhara Region are the least likely to be exposed to the media. As expected, media exposure is
highly related with the educational level of the respondent. One in two women and 65 percent of men
with secondary or higher levels of education listen to the radio at least once a week, whereas only
5 percent of uneducated women and 10 percent of uneducated men reported listening to the radio at
least once a week. Regarding the printed media, only 3 percent of women and 6 percent of men with
primary education reported reading a newspaper at least once a week, compared with 14 percent of
women and 27 percent of men with secondary and higher education.
Respondent’s Characteristics and Status * 21