Intimate Partner Violence and Unmet Need for Family Planning in Selected South Asian Countries

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between various forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) and unmet need for family planning (FP) in South Asia. The data were obtained from the latest wave of the Demographic and Health Survey in Afghanistan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan. Binary logistic regression analyses show mixed results, with a significant association between at least one type of IPV and unmet need for FP in all countries under study, except Maldives. There were also contrasting findings on the IPV–unmet need nexus, with a positive sign in some but negative sign in others. Women who experienced physical violence were associated with a higher odds of having an unmet need in Pakistan, but the opposite was true in Afghanistan and Nepal. The odds of having an unmet need were higher among Indian women who experienced IPV (sexual and emotional). In Afghanistan, women who experienced IPV (physical and emotional) have lower odds of having an unmet need. However, the interaction analysis of IPV (physical and sexual) and partners’ controlling behavior showed a positive association with unmet need. Policymakers need to develop policies and strategies to prevent IPV and reduce unmet need for FP, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Women empowerment domains and unmet need for contraception among married and cohabiting fecund women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel analysis based on gender role framework

“…The finding is in tandem with a study conducted in lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (24%) [7] and a study conducted in SSA among both married and cohabited women (28.7%) [37]. But it is higher than another study conducted in South and Southeast Asian countries (21%) [38], European countries (17.2%) [39] and lower than some European and Central Asian countries (Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania) which was approaching 40-50% [40]. The disparities could be due to a complex interaction of socioeconomic (poverty, education, employment), cultural and religious (beliefs, stigma, and misinformation), structural (healthcare infrastructures, access to services, and quality of care), gender-related (power dynamic and family pressure), legal and policy related (legal restrictions and lack of supportive policies), and political(conflict and instability) factors that vary among continents and even countries [7].…”