Access to Money and Relation to Women’s Use of Family Planning Methods among Young Married Women in Rural India

Elizabeth Reed, University of California, San Diego
Balaiah Donta, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) (ICMR)
Anindita Dasgupta, University of California, San Diego
Mohan Ghule, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) (ICMR)
Battala Madhusudana, Population Council
Saritha Nair, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) (ICMR)
Jay Silverman, University of California, San Diego
Arun Jadhav, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) (ICMR)
Prajakta Palaye, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) (ICMR)
Niranjan Saggurti, Population Council
Anita Raj, University of California, San Diego

Women’s social and economic autonomy facilitates access to and decision-making power related to family planning (FP). However, less is known whether economic autonomy is associated with FP outcomes independently of improvements in women’s social autonomy (e.g. decision-making power) in their households. Using survey data from married couples in rural Maharashtra, India (n=855), crude and adjusted regression was used to assess women’s access to their own spending money in relation to past 3 month use of contraceptives (condoms, pills, injectables, intrauterine device). Access to money (59%) was associated with condom and other contraceptive use (AORs ranged: 1.5 – 1.8). These findings remained significant after adjusting for women’s FP decision-making power in the household and mobility to seek FP services. While preliminary, findings suggest that access to money may increase women’s ability to obtain FP methods, even in contexts where social norms to support women’s power in FP decision-making are not readily adopted.