Reproducing Behaviors: The Effect of Media Exposure on Female Contraception in Myanmar

Abstract

Over the past four decades, numerous empirical studies have been conducted on the effects of media exposure on contraception use in various developing countries such as India, Tanzania, and Mali. Grounding my research in past literature, I use a two-stage least squares strategy to investigate the impact of media exposure, particularly the specific effects of different media types, namely the radio, the television, and the newspaper, on female contraception behavior, using Myanmar as my case study. Theory predicts that media exposure has a positive effect on contraception use; past literature has generally been consistent with theory. In my analysis, however, I find that only exposure to family planning messages through the television has a positive and significant impact on female contraception use. The effects of exposure through the radio and the newspaper on female contraception behavior are negligible. However, these media types do increase women’s likelihood of using contraceptives later, displaying a positive attitude towards contraception that perhaps isn’t enough to translate into behavior change. This paper provides a quantitative analysis for scholars and policymakers to better understand public health issues and how women’s exposure to media interacts with their contraception behavior in Myanmar.