Gender Differences in Media Exposure and Action During a Family Planning Campaign in Ghana

Abstract

This article examines the impact of a 20-month multimedia family planning promotion campaign in Ghana launched in March 1990. Surveys measured the campaign impact on exposure and family-planning-related action among 1,113 women and 1,007 men. Men were exposed to an average of 8.8 media sources compared with 8.3 for women. During the campaign, men were more likely than women to talk to a partner (42% vs. 25%) and begin contraceptive use (11% vs.4%), whereas women were more likely than men to talk to service providers (30% vs. 26%). Men and women exposed to the campaign were significantly more likely to take action regarding family planning than those who had little or no exposure. In comparing exposed women and men, women were more likely than men to talk about family planning to a partner or service provider. The findings suggest that analysis of subgroups can provide important information about the impact of campaigns, and that in Ghana, gender is important for understanding family planning behavior.