Diffusion of the culture of contraception: program effects on young women in rural Bangladesh

Abstract

This article describes a process of diffusion of family planning information, ideas, and technology among an unanticipated audience of young, unmarried women in rural Bangladesh. The data are derived from a focus-group study conducted in 1987-88 in the Maternal Child Health and Family Planning Project in Matlab, Bangladesh. A discussion with a staff member revealed her vivid memory of the arrival of the community-based family planning worker in her village 10 years earlier, before she was married. Based on this research lead, four focus-group sessions were held with newly married young women, and a set of questions about young women were incorporated into the sessions with other community women. The discussions showed that many young, unmarried women learn about family planning from an early age from the community-based family planning worker, from female relatives, peers, and the media. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that greater attention be paid to the contraceptive needs of young women and that continued research be conducted with this population of women.

PIP: During a focus group study examining the relationship between women's status and family planning in Matlab, Bangladesh, researchers learned that a group facilitator had clearly remembered the arrival of the community family planning worker in her village 10 years earlier when she was not yet married and the effect her arrival had on the facilitator and her friends. Four more focus group sessions with 15 young, recently married women (mean age = 16.7 years) and questions about young women were added to the study and session guidelines. The study revealed that the media was an important influence. These focus group discussions indicated that the family planning worker contributed greatly to the diffusion of information and ideas in the late 1970s, when the Matlab family planning/maternal and child health project began, and during the 1980s. The media, the rise of a culture of contraception, and the influence of modernization facilitated the family planning worker's role. Her presence in the community and the information disseminated through the media stimulated conversations. The interaction of peers and family members processed new knowledge and ideas. The Matlab project through its community workers introduced the idea that women can control their reproductive lives and consciously determine their family size. These findings emphasize the significant role of the female outreach worker in rural Bangladesh. They suggest that employment of women as community family planning workers may have had benefits other than those expected. The findings show the need for family planning programs to address the contraceptive needs of young, married women