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Aine Seitz McCarthy
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Unmet need for family planning

1/4/2013

4 Comments

 
Some interesting food for thought concocted during a literature review adventure.

Demographers use the term "unmet need for family planning" to refer to couples who report not wanting any more children, yet are not using any form of contraceptives. This is actually incredibly common. In my sample of couples in northern Tanzania (n=650), 20% of women say that they do not want any more children however they are not using any form of contraceptives.

However, this very notion of "unmet need" is debatable. Linguistically incorrect and paternalistic, Lant Pritchett might say:

Although general linguistic usage would rank "needs" higher in the hierarchy of wants than "demands" or "desires," in calculating "unmet need" all women not wanting a child who report not using contraception ... are classified as "needing" contraception. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 37 percent of those with "unmet need" intend to use contraception, even though 85 percent know of a modern method. Therefore, women who have no demonstrated demand or expressed desire for family planning are reported as "needing" it. "Unmet need" does not reflect just women who want contraceptives (a supply need) but also those women who require motivation to want what they are presumed to need. This usage is consistent only with either a very broad, or very paternalistic, definition of "need."

4 Comments
Jacob AG link
1/6/2013 07:05:02 am

Why do demographers not just ask families if they "need" or "want" contraception and whether they have access?

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Aine Seitz McCarthy link
1/6/2013 08:51:57 am

First of all, because that would just be WAY to easy. We like to keep things complicated over here.

Secondly, and I'm speaking from my own experiences with folks in Tanzania here, they don't know about many different types of contraceptives (basically just sterilization- and its extremely rare). So, if I asked if they want contraceptives, they may not really know if they do. In focus groups, women did respond that they wanted more education about family planning, which to me, is indicative of a potential desire for contraceptives.

Likewise, I can only ask about pricing and access information for types of contraceptives that they've actually used. About 20% of the total population has used some sort of contraceptives and its mostly condoms.

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check here link
6/6/2013 06:26:59 pm

Most of the developing and underdeveloped countries are facing the population problems. So there comes the importance of family planning. The government should take necessary measures to control population and thereby irradiate poverty.

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Gabriel Frost link
10/1/2013 05:24:27 am

Found this from the Weebly directory, great blog.

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    Aine Seitz McCarthy

    International development, economics and some pretty ambitious ideas from a stubborn graduate student clinging to her sense of adventure.


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