Has anything changed? Women’s acceptance of wife beating in Nigeria: Analysis of data from the last two DHS datasets

Background Wife-beating, is a form of intimate partner violence, remains an issue globally with majority of cases in low middle income countries and many women justify this as a form of discipline. The acceptance of wife beating can stem from several factors including traditional gender roles, patriarchal systems or socioeconomic factors. This study aims to examine the prevalence and associated factors of acceptance of wife beating in Nigeria by comparing two datasets. Materials and methods This is a retrospective analytical cross-sectional study using data from the 2018 and 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. A sample of 40,807 women from the 2018 dataset and 37,682 women from the 2024 dataset, representing a diverse population across urban and rural contexts, were used in this study. The outcome measure of the study was acceptance of wife beating. The analysis was done using Pearson's chi-square test of fitness and binary logistic regression. Descriptive design and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out. The results of the binary logistic regression were presented as adjusted odds ratios. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results In both survey years, the patten of acceptance of wife beating remains the same with when wife goes out without telling husband having the highest prevalence while burns food, having the lowest. However, there has been a significant decrease in the prevalences between 2018 and 2024. Women aged 45–49 years, women who have higher educational level, are employed in informal sectors, exposed to mass media, wealthier women, women in high literate communities and women in high socioeconomic communities were less likely to accept wife beating.