Public Perceptions on Family Planning and Birth Spacing in the Cultural and Religious Context of Senegal: A Case Study in Dakar, Senegal

Much prior research has examined the prevalence rates of family planning and contraceptive use in Senegal, as well as the importance of family planning for reducing maternal and infant mortality, improving the well being of families, and improving the national economy. Few studies, though, have captured the perspectives of Senegalese persons and their attitudes and beliefs toward family planning, rumors and stigmas that surround it, and how different actors can work together to dispel rumors and encourage the use of family planning. I conducted my research in Dakar, Senegal, where I interviewed a variety of persons – two gynecologists, a public health doctor, a secretary at a gynecologist’s practice, two Imams, two language teachers, a women’s rights advocate, and a stay-at-home mother – about their perceptions on family planning. I asked them too how religious leaders, men, and other actors can be involved, and what they believe to be the gravest obstacles to expanding the access and quality of family planning in Senegal. The aim of this study was to both flesh out the quantitative data and previous studies on family planning in Senegal that already exist, and couple this with the qualitative perceptions of people from Dakar so that the Senegalese government, NGOs, and other enterprises can begin to develop the effective strategies for expanding family planning