Codes and Frequencies
Description
FCKNOW (G100) indicates whether the woman had ever heard about female circumcision. Question wording and coding varies across samples. See Comparability.
Comparability — Index
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GENERAL Egypt |
Liberia Nigeria |
Sierra Leone |
Comparability
Along with universe differences, there is considerable variation in the question wording and structure for FCKNOW (G100).
For the majority of samples, FCKNOW (G100) is based upon an initial question about whether the woman has heard about female circumcision, with a follow-up question defining the term if a woman answers "no." This follow-up question uses wording such as "There is a practice in which a girl may have part of her genitals cut. Have you ever heard about this practice?"
Where the two-part question format is used, some samples distinguish between women who answered "yes" to the first question (as "yes, spontaneous") and women who answered "yes" to the follow-up probe (as "yes, prompted") in FCKNOW (G100). To maximize comparability across samples, IPUMS-DHS uses composite coding, with all affirmative responses coded with a 1 in the first digit, and with the second digit distinguishing between a spontaneous and a prompted yes.
Other samples separate the questions into distinct variables, with FCKNOW (G100) pertaining to the first question and FCKNOWPROBE (G101) pertaining to the probing descriptive question. Researchers interested in woman's awareness of female circumcision should plan to use both FCKNOW (G100) and FCKNOWPROBE (G101) to maximize comparability across samples.
A minority of samples use a single question to determine the woman's awareness of female circumcision. Most of these samples provide the woman with a description of female circumcision prior to asking if she has heard of the practice.
Samples with additional comparability issues are discussed below.
Comparability - Standard DHS
Questions about female circumcision are not included in the standard DHS, but the two-part question wording quoted above is used in all three versions of the standard DHS module about female circumcision. The supplementary text in the third version of the standard module states that the follow-up question is needed because "sometimes women may know what FGC is but know it by some other name."
Comparability — Egypt [top]
For Egypt 1995 and 2003, FCKNOW (G100) depends upon the single question "Have you ever heard about female circumcision?"
For Egypt 2000 and 2008, knowledge of female circumcision is not determined by direct questioning, but rather is assumed if the woman gives a response other than "don't know" to other questions about female circumcision.
Comparability — Liberia [top]
The 2007 and 2013 Liberia surveys ask whether the respondent has ever heard of a bush society like the Sande society. According to the 2007 DHS Final Report:
Comparability — Nigeria [top]
The Nigeria 2013 and 2018 survey forms provides the woman with a detailed description of female circumcision prior to asking if she has heard of the practice. The description covers the different types of female circumcision practiced in Nigeria (see Survey Text).
Comparability — Sierra Leone [top]
The Sierra Leone 2008 survey asks whether the female respondent has ever heard of the "Bondo/Sande/other secret societies/female circumcision?"
Universe
- Benin 2001: All women age 15-49.
- Benin 2006: All women age 15-49.
- Benin 2011: All women age 15-49.
- Burkina Faso 1998: All women age 15-49.
- Burkina Faso 2003: All women age 15-49.
- Burkina Faso 2010: All women age 15-49.
- Cameroon 2004: Women age 15-49 who were selected and interviewed for the FC module.
- Chad 2004: All women age 15-49.
- Chad 2014: Women age 15-49 in households not selected for the men's survey.
- Cote d'Ivoire 1998: All women age 15-49.
- Cote d'Ivoire 2011: All women age 15-49.
- Egypt 1995: Ever-married women age 15-49.
- Egypt 2000: Ever-married women age 15-49.
- Egypt 2003: Ever-married women age 15-49.
- Egypt 2008: Ever-married women age 15-49.
- Ethiopia 2000: All women age 15-49.
- Ethiopia 2005: All women age 15-49.
- Ethiopia 2016: Women age 15-49 who were selected and interviewed for the FC module.
- Gambia 2013: All women age 15-49.
- Gambia 2019: Women age 15-49 in households selected for the long questionnaire.
- Guinea 1999: All women age 15-49.
- Guinea 2005: All women age 15-49.
- Guinea 2012: All women age 15-49.
- Guinea 2018: All women age 15-49.
- Kenya 2008: All women age 15-49.
- Kenya 2014: Women age 15-49 in households selected for the long questionnaire.
- Liberia 2007: All women age 15-49.
- Liberia 2013: All women age 15-49.
- Liberia 2019: All women age 15-49.
- Mali 2001: All women age 15-49.
- Mali 2006: All women age 15-49.
- Mali 2012: All women age 15-49.
- Mali 2018: Women age 15-49 in households not selected for the men's survey.
- Niger 1998: All women age 15-49.
- Niger 2006: All women age 15-49.
- Niger 2012: All women age 15-49.
- Nigeria 2003: All women age 15-49.
- Nigeria 2008: All women age 15-49.
- Nigeria 2013: All women age 15-49.
- Nigeria 2018: Women age 15-49 in households not selected for the men's survey.
- Senegal 2005: All women age 15-49.
- Senegal 2010: All women age 15-49.
- Senegal 2014: All women age 15-49.
- Senegal 2015: All women age 15-49.
- Senegal 2016: All women age 15-49.
- Senegal 2017: All women age 15-49.
- Sierra Leone 2008: All women age 15-49.
- Sierra Leone 2013: All women age 15-49.
- Sierra Leone 2019: All women age 15-49.
- Tanzania 2004: All women age 15-49.
- Tanzania 2010: All women age 15-49.
- Tanzania 2015: All women age 15-49.
- Togo 2013: All women age 15-49.
- Uganda 2006: All women age 15-49.
- Uganda 2011: All women age 15-49.
- Uganda 2016: All women age 15-49.
- Yemen 2013: All women age 15-49.
