Islam and Family Planning Acceptance in Bangladesh

One frequently cited barrier to more widespread adoption of family planning in Moslem countries is religious opposition. To examine the depth and extent of such opposition in Bangladesh, 106 men who had been identified by their wives as religiously opposed to family planning were interviewed. Unexpe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in family planning 1990-09, Vol.21 (5), p.287-292
Main Authors: Bernhart, Michael H., Uddin, M. Mosleh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bangladesh
Bioethics
Birth control
Children
Contraception
Family planning
Family Planning Services - utilization
Family size
Female
Humans
Husbands
Islam
Islam - psychology
Male
Muslims
Population
Religion and Medicine
Research universities
Sex Factors
Wives
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Summary:One frequently cited barrier to more widespread adoption of family planning in Moslem countries is religious opposition. To examine the depth and extent of such opposition in Bangladesh, 106 men who had been identified by their wives as religiously opposed to family planning were interviewed. Unexpectedly, 26 percent of the "opposing" husbands reported that they were current users of a contraceptive and an additional 50 percent, although not practicing, said they were in favor of family planning. Of the alleged "opposers," only 23 percent said they opposed family planning on religious grounds. One-fourth of this last group were able to cite specific islamic injunctions against family planning. It appears on the basis of these data, which were collected in the religiously conservative area of Lakshimipur, that the perception of widespread Islamic-based resistance to contraception in Bangladesh is not founded in fact.
ISSN:0039-3665
1728-4465
DOI:10.2307/1966508