Contraceptive Concordance

Mahesh Karra, Boston University
S Anukriti, World Bank
Catalina Herrera Almanza, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Sarah Vincent, Boston University

We propose an indicator of contraceptive concordance that identifies the alignment between stated preferences for contraception and concurrent contraceptive behavior. We use this approach to estimate contraceptive concordance using data from a cross-sectional survey that was conducted with 1,958 married women in rural India. More than half of all women in our sample (51.2 percent) report that they are currently using a contraceptive method, with almost twice as many users reporting that they are using traditional methods relative to users who report using a modern method. More than 3 in 5 women (60.8 percent) were classified as wanting to use a contraceptive method at the time of the survey. We find that 60 percent of women in our sample are classified to be concordant (either concordant users or concordant non-users), while almost 1 in 4 women (24.8 percent) have an unmet need for contraception, and 15.2 percent of women in our sample are estimated to have unwanted family planning.

Keywords: Family Planning and Contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

See extended abstract.