Female Autonomy and Contraceptive Use in Central Asia

Abstract

This report seeks to examine the factors that relate to the concept of female autonomy and contraceptive use in Kazakhstan in 1995, Uzbekistan in 1996, and Kyrgyz Republic in 1997 and 2012. The general concept of autonomy is deconstructed in this report into direct measures of autonomy and autonomy-related factors. I hypothesized that the aggregate of both the autonomy measures and autonomy-related factors would have a statistically significant impact on women’s use of contraception, and that education would be the most significant individual driver of contraceptive use. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to aggregate all autonomy measure together, as well as just the autonomy measures and autonomy-related factors. A full multivariate linear regression model, as well as models with the PCA variables and individual autonomy measures and autonomy-related factors are compared with one another. The results of the models indicate that across the four data sets utilized, respondents’ fertility preferences and respondents’ communication with their husbands regarding family planning were the most influential drivers of contraceptive use. Socioeconomic status is also a significant driver of use, but that effect diminishes when the outcome variable changes from modern contraceptive use to all forms of contraceptive use, including traditional methods. The report concludes that sexual education curriculums that emphasize the importance of open and active communication between sexual partners can be used to address the fact that respondents’ increased years of education is not associated with an increase in contraceptive use.