Contraceptive Practices and Fertility Intentions: Their Impact on Women's Economic Empowerment in India – Evidence from NFHS-5 (2019-2021)

Arobi Nasrin, Jadavpur University
Roni Sikdar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Dhananjay W. Bansod, International Institute for Population Sciences

India was the first country to launch an official family planning programme in 1952. After that, the government took different initiatives to run this programme. Fertility preferences and goals have shifted over time toward fewer births but with a continuing value on the birth of sons. This study understands the effects of using contraception and fertility intentions on women’s economic empowerment (WEE). The data collected from NFHS 1 to 5. We apply PCA to generate (WEE) score based on 10 indicators. Multivariate regression analyses are used for further analysis. Results show use of modern contraceptive methods in India has steadily increased from 37 in 1992-93 to 56 percent in 2019-21. Though, reversible modern methods are more likely to be associated with WEE [OR: 5.39 CI: 4.47, 6.32]. Furthermore, it shows that WEE are more likely to want children more than two years later [OR: 0.62, CI: -0.89, 2.14]. In disadvantaged rural regions, the availability of contraceptive resources is often insufficient or entirely lacking. Alongside the limited choices and the absence of informed consent, government policies are coercing women into selecting sterilization. Economically empower women are more advantageous to take decision of their fertility preference and using contraceptive methods.

Keywords: Fertility, Family Planning and Contraception, Gender Dynamics, Economic Demography

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