Men and family planning in Bangladesh: A review of the literature

This report reviews the literature on men and family planning (FP) in Bangladesh. A variety of topics are covered: male fertility preferences, opinions about male methods of contraception, family planning (FP) decision-making, and recent efforts to involve Bangladeshi men in FP programs. Men’s desired family size in Bangladesh is small; only one-third of respondents in the most recent DHS survey wanted more than two children. The same survey revealed that knowledge of at least one modern method of FP is practically universal and that attitudes toward contraception are overwhelmingly favorable. Only superficial information on the frequency and quality of communication about FP between spouses and the effects of such communication on contraceptive usage exists. Not much effort has been made to involve men in FP programs in Bangladesh. The few references that could be found suggest that men can be successfully incorporated into outreach programs and that contraceptive prevalence can be raised through such efforts