Meeting ‘actual demand’ for contraceptives in Ghana: does women’s autonomy matter?

Donatus Yaw Atiglo, University of Ghana
Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, University of Ghana

We address a basic conceptual gap in research on the relationship between women’s autonomy and contraceptive behaviour. To ascertain the influence of autonomy on meeting contraceptive demand, we define women’s actual demand for contraceptives considering their intentions, using data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Our sample included non-pregnant married/cohabiting fecund women aged 15-49 who had knowledge and intention for contraceptive use but not desiring conception within two years. We investigated the influence of household decision-making and household economic autonomy on current contraceptive use, controlling for sexual activity and socio-demographic characteristics. About half the women studied had an unmet demand. Controlling for all other characteristics, two binary logistic regression models revealed that neither measure of autonomy is statistically associated with meeting women’s actual demand for contraceptives (a=.05). However, formal education, age, wealth and region of residence significantly predict contraceptive use. Autonomy does not predict met demand for contraceptives.