Prevalence and Determinants of Contraceptive use among Employed and Unemployed Women in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive use plays a significant role in controlling fertility, particularly in reaching the replacement level of fertility. The association between women's employment status and contraceptive use is poorly studied and understood in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence contraceptive use among employed and unemployed women in Bangladesh. METHODS: Data and necessary information of 16,616 married women were extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. The cross sectional data has been used for univariate analysis, to carry out the description of the variables; bivariate analysis, to find the associations among the variables; and binary logistic regression analysis, to evaluate the effects of selected sociodemographic factors on contraceptive use. RESULTS: The results revealed that the contraceptive use was found higher among employed women (67%) than that of unemployed women. Women's age, education, region, number of living children, and child preference were found to be significantly associated with current use of contraception among employed women. On the other hand, women's age, education, husband's education, region, residence, religion, number of living children, ever heard about family planning, and child preference were identified as the significant predictors of contraceptive use among unemployed women. CONCLUSION AND GLOBAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: A gap in using contraceptives among employed and unemployed women is identified. By creating employment opportunities for women to be enhanced the contraceptive use. Moreover, the sociodemographic factors need to be taken into consideration in formulating policies and implementing programs to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate among women.