Sexual and Reproductive Autonomy and Contraceptive Used Among Women in Union in Benin

Robert Djogbenou , Population Training an Research Center (CEFORP, University of Benin)
Justin Dansou, University of Ibadan

In Benin, studies examining the influence of women's sexual autonomy on their current and future use of contraception are very rare and there is a fundamental need for research on how women's sexual autonomy affects their use of contraception. The data used are from the DHS conducted in Benin 2012 and concern 11680 women aged 15-49 in union. The multinomial logistic regressions applied to the data showed that regardless of the place of residence, sexual / reproductive autonomy, education, desire for additional children and spouse preference are strongly associated with current and future use of contraceptives. These findings suggest that to achieve universal access to reproductive health services, including Family Planning in Benin, and to fully benefit from opening windows of opportunities for capturing the demographic dividend, future interventions must aim to reduce disparities sexual empowerment, to help women achieve their reproductive goals in both urban and rural settings.

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 Presented in Session 1. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior, & Reproductive Health 1