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Association between having no sons and using no contraception among a nationally representative sample of young wives in Nepal
Author(s) -
Raj Anita,
Vilms Rohan J.,
McDougal Lotus,
Silverman Jay G.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.12.011
Subject(s) - demography , residence , respondent , confidence interval , caste , odds ratio , family planning , medicine , odds , fertility , population , logistic regression , sociology , research methodology , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , political science , law
Objective To examine whether a lack of sons predicts non‐use of contraception among young wives in Nepal. Methods Data were obtained from married females aged 15–24 years who participated in the Nepal 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (n = 2439). Multivariate models were used to test predictions of modern contraception use with the following variables: having no sons, social inequities (wealth, education, rural residence, and caste), gender inequities (early age at marriage, spousal age, and education gaps), respondent age, parity, and geographic region. Results Most wives (79%) reported using no modern contraception. Non‐use was more likely among those with no living sons (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–2.2), and those who married as a minor (AOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.02–1.9) and/or resided in a rural area (AOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3–2.5). Having no daughters was negatively associated with non‐use of contraception (AOR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5–0.9). Conclusion Contraception use is not common among young wives in Nepal. It is, however, more likely among wives with sons and less likely among wives with daughters, demonstrating that son preference continues to affect contraception use among the next generation of mothers in Nepal.