Common Contracts

Couple-Level Agreement on Future Fertility Intentions and Contraceptive Use

September 27th, 2017

• Filed
  September 27th, 2017

Despite the recognition that men play a significant role in reproductive behavior, much of the research on reproductive attitudes and behaviors remains focused on women in Pakistan. This is particularly problematic in a patriarchal society experiencing dramatic changes in gender roles at the societal level. Using matched couple data from two cycles of the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (1990-91 and 2012-13), this paper examines the relative influence of husbands’ and wives’ fertility preferences, as well as women’s absolute education, in predicting contraceptive use, paying attention to changes over time. Multivariate analysis shows that both spouses’ fertility preferences exert equal influence on contraceptive use. Moreover, the positive association between women’s own education and contraceptive use has weakened over time.