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Contraception Continues To Be A Woman’s Burden In India: NFHS–5 Data
The latest round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reveals how contraception continues to remain a woman’s burden in India. According to experts, it’s not only the patriarchal mindset that contributes to the gender gap in contraception but also the fact that most family planning campaigns so far have been women-centric.
According to the latest National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019-2021 (NFHS-5), which is considered the most comprehensive survey of health and social indicators, the silver lining to India’s contraception knowledge concern lies in the fact that more than 99 per cent of married men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 are aware of least one modern method of contraception and the usage of these methods have increased from 47.8 per cent to 56.5 per cent between 2015-16 and 2019-21. But a closer look at the numbers reveals the gap, and the increasing burden of contraception on women.
•With fewer than one in 10 men—9.5 per cent—using condoms, female sterilisation remains the most popular method of contraception. It has risen from 36 per cent to 37.9 per cent in the last five years.
•Male sterilisation remains unchanged at 0.3 per cent.
•The survey also reveals that approximately 50 per cent of men in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Telangana believe that it’s a woman’s responsibility to keep the family small, that contraception is a woman’s business and that men should not worry about it.
•Though the overall Contraception Prevalent Rate has increased from 54 per cent to 67 per cent, there’s a stark difference in the uptake of contraceptives by women and men across all states.
The burden of contraception is clearly on women and not much has changed in the last couple of years. According to experts, reducing the gap requires persistent efforts in the form of campaigns driving awareness. Policymakers need to understand and achieve the goal of involving men in family planning and not just focusing on increasing the awareness of woman contraceptives.