Gender and Age Disparities on Maternal Health Care Access in Ghanaian Northern Cities: A Systematic Literature Review

Ghanaian northern cities face disparities in maternal health care access that are influenced by gender and age factors. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed databases including PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar was conducted from to present. Studies were screened for relevance, quality assessed using a validated tool, and data extracted on gender, age disparities, and maternal healthcare access. Findings revealed significant disparities in healthcare utilization among women of reproductive age (WRA), with some studies indicating that up to 45% of WRA experience delays or non-attendance due to perceived gender discrimination and lack of financial resources. The review highlights the need for culturally sensitive interventions targeting both genders, particularly focusing on improving access for older women who often face additional barriers such as mobility issues and cultural stigma. Developed policies should prioritise education campaigns addressing gender biases in healthcare settings and ensure equitable health insurance coverage options for all age groups. Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.