Factors associated with fertility limiting intention and contraceptive use among currently married men in India

Abstract

Family planning methods are generally considered as women’s responsibility in India. The volumes of research done so far in the family planning methods and reproductive behaviors have kept women at the center of the matter. Consequently, the research on the men’s perspective on the same is generally being neglected. The present study intends to address intention of fertility stopping or fertility limiting and contraception behaviors and their associated factors among currently married men aged 20-49 years in India who had at least one living child. The fourth round of the National Family Health Survey in 2015-2016 was used to achieve the study objectives. Descriptive statistics and binary and multinomial logistic regression models were applied to more than 48,000 men who met the requirement. The findings of the analysis indicate that more than three-fourths currently married men did not want another child, and the fertility stopping intention significantly varies by demographics (i.e., men’s age, number of children, and sex composition of children), socio-economic characteristics, residence, geographic region, and religion of the respondents together with type of caste and social media exposure. The men’s fertility stopping intention was also linked with geographic region, types of religion and castes, and exposure of social media. Result further reveals that only <30% of men who did not want to have another child were using a contraceptive method at the time survey. Among users, female sterilization was the most popular method among married couples in India. Demographic factors, socio-economic characteristics, region and culture, and exposure of social media were all associated with use or not-using and use of a specific conceptive method. Overall, the findings suggest men’s fertility stopping intention and their use of contraception are complicated, and it needs to consider men as a target group in fertility regulation interventions. The reproductive health programs aiming to increase uptake of modern contraceptives by sexually active men in India should consider the importance of sex education and ensure access to mass media.