Intimate Communication across Borders: Spousal Labor Migration and Recent Partner Communication about Family Planning in Nepal

Abstract

Amid widespread labor migration in Nepal, spousal separation may affect partner communication about intimate topics like family planning. We examined the association between spousal migration experience and partner communication about family planning using survey responses from 1,793 married Nepali women (ages 18–49 years) with a child under 5 years. More than 60% of women had recently migrating spouses. Forty-seven percent reported recent partner communication about family planning. Women with currently migrating spouses were significantly less likely than women with non-migrant spouses to report recent spousal discussions about family planning. Recent partner communication about family planning varied by destination and duration of current migration. Future programs designed to fulfill the reproductive health needs of transregional or transnational couples should address partner communication about family planning.

Keywords:

• contraception
• labor migration
• Nepal
• partner communication
• South Asia
• women “left behind”

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Shailes Neupane and Saurav Neupane of the Valley Research Group (VaRG), who administered data collection and managed the data for this study, as well as the invaluable efforts of VaRG’s researchers, field supervisors, and interviewers. The authors thank Dr. Elena Broaddus for her content expertise and support of this project. The authors also acknowledge members of the first author’s preliminary orals and final dissertation committees who provided feedback throughout the data analysis and on early versions of this manuscript: Drs. Deanna Kerrigan, Courtland Robinson, Kristin Mmari, Jill Owczarzak, Pamela Surkan, Stanley Becker, and Peter Winch.

Disclosure statement

Funders were not involved in data collection, data analysis, or manuscript writing. USAID was not involved in data collection, data analysis, or manuscript writing or in any of the views expressed here. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Additional information

Funding

The Nepal HC3 Project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development by Agreement AID-OAA-A-12-00058.