Are husbands a barrier to women's family planning use? The case of Morocco

Abstract

Little is known about men's role in the adoption of family planning. Recent studies suggest that men may be a barrier to women's use of family planning. However, it is not clear whether husbands represent a true or a perceived barrier. Using the 1992 Morocco Demographic and Health Survey data, this study examines (1) whether women and men report concordant fertility desires, discussions, and contraceptive use; (2) the accuracy of women's perceptions of their husbands’ fertility desires; and (3) whether husbands are a barrier to women's family planning use. The results demonstrate that, controlling for women's own fertility desires, husbands’ true fertility desires are associated with family planning use. Likewise, women who perceive their husbands to want fewer children than they want are more likely to use family planning. Future fertility and family planning programs need to include men to reduce their role as both perceived and true barriers to family planning use.