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Comparative Study
. 1992 Jan;24(1):9-16.
doi: 10.1017/s0021932000006751.

Effect of son mortality on contraceptive practice in Bangladesh

Affiliations
Comparative Study

Effect of son mortality on contraceptive practice in Bangladesh

N E Johnson et al. J Biosoc Sci. 1992 Jan.

Abstract

This study based on the 1975-76 Bangladesh Fertility Survey showed that the mortality of sons, and not daughters, was associated with a lower rate of female contraceptive initiation of use and a higher rate of discontinuation.

PIP: Researchers used data on 5596 mothers from the 1975-1976 Bangladesh Fertility Survey (part of the World Fertility Survey) to test 3 propositions. 1005 mothers had ever used contraceptives (17.96%). The discontinuation rate stood at 48.76%. These mothers were more likely to discontinue using contraceptive if at least 1 son had previously died (p.05). Yet mothers who lost just daughters discontinued contraceptives at almost the same rate as mothers who experienced no child deaths. This supported the 3rd proposition: Mothers face a greater chance of discontinuing contraception if they have at least 1 dead son. Moreover Bangladeshi mothers who had experienced the death of at least 1 son were considerably less likely to start contraception (z-value=2.239; p.05). Thus the study did not reject the 2nd proposition which suggested that mothers would be less likely to start using contraception if they experienced the death of at least 1 son. This study found no significant differences in initiation of contraception between mothers with at least 1 previous child death and mothers who experienced no child deaths. Thus this result did not disprove the 1st proposition stating that mothers in Bangladesh were equally likely to begin using contraceptives irrespective of previous child survival or mortality. Therefore this study indicated that son mortality can postpone initiation and foster discontinuation of contraceptive use in son favoring societies even when the desired number of living children is great and child mortality is high. This study confirmed the interrelatedness of son preference, son mortality, and contraception in societies which clearly favor sons. Further research should determine if the resumption of contraceptive usage which was discontinued due to the death of a son is less likely than beginning contraceptive usage after his death.

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