SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpublic health, epidemiology

cross-sectional·public health, epidemiology, obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine·PMC10298759

Women’s empowerment and contraceptive use: Recent evidence from ASEAN countries

PLOS ONE · 10 authors, 4 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

It found that labor force participation was significantly associated with higher contraceptive use in all five nations, while other empowerment indicators showed variable associations.

Full summary

574 CHARS

After adjusting for covariates, women’s labor force participation was significantly associated with contraceptive use in all five countries, with odds ratios ranging from 1.09 in Indonesia to 2.01 in Cambodia for high versus low participation. Decision-making power was only significantly associated with use in Cambodia, and higher knowledge levels were associated with use in Cambodia and Myanmar. The findings suggest labor force participation is a key determinant of contraceptive use and support policies aimed at improving women’s economic participation and education.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10298759

Women’s empowerment and contraceptive use: Recent evidence from ASEAN countries

PLOS ONE

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background A fundamental element of gender equity are women’s rights to reproductive choice. Women’s empowerment is often linked to enabling decisions around contraceptive use and reduced fertility worldwide, although limited evidence is currently available around contraceptive use and decision making in ASEAN countries. Objective To examine the association between women’s empowerment and contraceptive use in five selected ASEAN member states. Methods Data from the latest Demographic and Health Survey of Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, The Philippines, and Timor-Leste were used. The main outcome was contraceptive use among married women (15–49 years) from these five countries. We considered four indicators of empowerment: labor force participation; disagreement with reasons for wife beating; decision-making power over household issues; and knowledge level. Results Labor force participation was found to be significantly associated with contraceptive use in all nations. Disagreement with justification of wife beating was not significantly related to contraceptive use in any country. Decision-making power (higher) was only associated with contraceptive use in Cambodia, while higher knowledge levels were associated with contraceptive use in Cambodia, and Myanmar. Conclusion This study suggests women’s labor force participation is an important determinant of contraceptive use. Policies designed to open the labor market and empower women through education should be implemented to enable women’s participation. Gender inequality may also be tackled by engaging women in decision-making processes at national, community and family levels.

CITATION EXPORT

Ferry Efendi, Susy Katikana Sebayang, Erni Astutik et al.. Women’s empowerment and contraceptive use: Recent evidence from ASEAN countries. PLOS ONE. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287442

AUTHORS

10 · 4 CENTRES

Ferry Efendi, Susy Katikana Sebayang, Erni Astutik, Sonia Reisenhofer, Lisa McKenna, Thae Maung Maung, Thae Maung Maung, Thae Maung Maung, Thae Maung Maung, Thae Maung Maung

1Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
2Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Population Studies and Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
3School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
4Department of Medical Research, MYANMAR