Effect of Men’s Reproductive Health Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior on Their Wives’ Reproductive Behavior in Two Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Mian B. Hossain, Morgan State University
ABM Khorshed A. Mozumder, ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research

Bangladesh society is profoundly gender stratified and yet, male roles in reproductive health processes have not been rigorously investigated. This study allows us to examine the association between men’s reproductive health knowledge, attitude and behavior and their wives’ subsequent reproductive behavior using longitudinal data from International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B). A total of 5,397 couples data from 1998 survey and women’s contraceptive use history data following 1998 survey were used in this research. Results show a significant association between husband’s fertility preference and current use of any family panning method. When socio-economic and husbands’ knowledge indicators are controlled for, the odds of using a method of contraception is 34 percent higher among couples whose husbands do not want more children compared to those whose husband want more children. It is also observed that there is a significant association between husband’s fertility preference and women’s subsequent contraceptive adoption.