The advent of family planning as a social norm in Bangladesh: women’s experiences

Schuler, Sidney Ruth; Hashemi, Syed; Cullum, Amy; Hassan, Mirza

doi:10.1016/s0968-8080(96)90007-5

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Contrary to the assertions made in recent articles about the family planning program in Bangladesh (Schuler et al 1996;Schuler, Hashemi, and Jenkins 1995), there is probably not much difference in the approaches taken by credit extension services and by the government family planning program. Both have innovated strategies to overcome women's lack of access to services and their low mobility.…”

Section: Rural Development and The Role Of Ngoscontrasting

confidence: 73%

Women's lives and rapid fertility decline: Some lessons from Bangladesh and Egypt

Amin¹,

Lloyd²

1998

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In some of the more traditional parts of the world, fertility is falling steadily, sometimes rapidly, in environments where women's lives remain severely constrained. The recent experiences of Bangladesh and Egypt, both predominantly Muslim countries, are illustrative in this regard. Since the late 1970s, rural and urban areas in both countries have experienced steady declines in fertility, with recent declines in rural Bangladesh similar to those in rural Egypt, despite lower levels of development and higher rates of poverty. This paper provides an in-depth exploration of the demographic transition in these two societies as seen through the dual lens of society-wide gender systems and a range of relevant state policies. It addresses three basic questions: (1) have measurable improvements in economic opportunities for women been a factor in the fertility decline in either country?; (2) have differences in gender systems at the societal level provided a more favorable environment for fertility decline in Bangladesh in comparison to Egypt, despite the former's more modest economic achievements?; (3) in what ways can the development strategies adopted by the governments of Bangladesh and Egypt, with their very different implications for women's opportunities in contexts where personal autonomy remains limited, be seen as additional factors in explaining the similar rural fertility declines despite dissimilar economic circumstances? After reviewing the evidence, the paper concludes that neither differences in existing gender systems nor measurable changes in women's opportunities have been key factors in the notable demographic successes recorded in these two countries. Indeed, low levels of women's autonomy have posed no barrier to fertility decline in either country. However, there is a case to be made that Bangladesh's distinct approach to development, with considerable emphasis on reaching the rural poor and women and a strong reliance on nongovernmental institutions, may have played a part in accelerating the transition in that environment and in helping women to become more immediate beneficiaries of that process.This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the authors.

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Section: Rural Development and The Role Of Ngoscontrasting

confidence: 73%

Women's lives and rapid fertility decline: Some lessons from Bangladesh and Egypt

Amin¹,

Lloyd²

1998

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“…Nevertheless, it has been progressively evident that men, exercising hegemony in gender relations, end up determining the contraceptive method that women will use. There are societies in which women need authorization from their husbands/partners in order to undergo a tubal ligation, and even to use reversible methods (Schuler et al. 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contraceptive methods with male participation: a perspective of Brazilian couples

Marchi

Alvarenga

Osis³

et al. 2008

International Nursing Review

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“…3. restricted mobility or the lack of freedom to be "exposed to public sphere" (Schuler, Hashemi, Cullum, & Hassan, 1996), operationally defined in this study as freedom to sell in markets, attend mother's group meetings and visit others without feeling restrictions from household members; 4. social support networks, defined as "access to networks of support on a household and community level" (Malhotra & Boender, 2002) and operationalised to include support from family members, women's groups, neighbours and government frontline workers which may influence women's investments in farming or participation in AAMA activities; and 5. perceived self-efficacy, or "women's ability to define self-interest and choice, and consider themselves as not only able, but entitled to make choices" (Bandura, 1982;Malhotra & Boender, 2002) and in this study related to a woman's level of confidence and interest in both agricultural production practices as well as, sharing of her knowledge with others in the household, or acting upon her gained knowledge and skills to make decisions.…”

Section: Study Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition‐sensitive agricultural interventions and gender dynamics: A qualitative study in Nepal

Kjeldsberg

Shrestha

Miti

et al. 2018

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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Undernutrition and low women's status persist as major development obstacles in South Asia and specifically, Nepal. Multi-sectoral approaches, including nutrition-sensitive agriculture, are potential avenues for further reductions in undernutrition. Although evidence is growing, many questions remain regarding how gender mediates the translation of agricultural production activities into nutritional benefit. In this study, we examined how gender influences the pathway from agricultural production to improved income and control of income, with a focus on five domains of empowerment: decision-making power, freedom of mobility, social support, workload and time, and self-efficacy. For this, we conducted a qualitative retrospective assessment (N = 10 FGDs) among 73 beneficiary women of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture programme implemented from 2008 to 2012 in two districts of Nepal-Baitadi and Kailali. We found that women reported increased decision-making power, new knowledge and skills, increased recognition by their family members of their new knowledge and contributions, and self-efficacy as farmers and sellers, whereas workload and time were the most consistent constraints noted. We also found that each empowerment domain operated differently at different stages of the pathway, sometimes representing barriers and at other times, opportunities and that the interconnectedness of the domains made them difficult to disentangle in practice. Finally, there were major contextual differences for some domains (e.g., freedom of mobility) between the two districts. Future policies and programmes need to include in-depth formative research to ensure that interventions address context-specific gender and social norms to maximise programmatic opportunities to achieve desired results.

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The advent of family planning as a social norm in Bangladesh: women’s experiences

Cited by 23 publications

References 11 publications

Women's lives and rapid fertility decline: Some lessons from Bangladesh and Egypt

Women's lives and rapid fertility decline: Some lessons from Bangladesh and Egypt

Contraceptive methods with male participation: a perspective of Brazilian couples

Nutrition‐sensitive agricultural interventions and gender dynamics: A qualitative study in Nepal

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