Samari Goleen
a Population Research Center , University of Texas at Austin , Austin , USA.
Cult Health Sex. 2018 Apr;20(4):458-473. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1356938. Epub 2017 Aug 8.
Egypt is ranked one of the most gender unequal countries, and fertility is at a two-decade high of 3.5 births per woman. Women's empowerment is a strategy used to promote contraceptive use and lower fertility, yet evidence from the Middle East is limited. This study uses 2005, 2008 and 2014 Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey data to examine recent patterns of contraceptive method choice and how women's empowerment is associated with contraceptive method type: none, short-acting or long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods. Using a nationally representative sample of 47,545 married women in their childbearing years, multinomial logistic regression models examine women's agency, specifically household decision-making and attitudes towards intimate partner violence and contraceptive method type. In 2014, LARC use significantly declined and short-acting method use was higher than in 2008. Women who made household decisions and were less accepting of intimate partner violence were more likely to use LARC (vs. no method). Women who made more joint decisions with spouses were more likely to use LARC (vs. no method) compared to those making individual decisions. Findings have implications for family planning programmes, and efforts involving men to increase household gender equality and lower the acceptance of intimate partner violence may promote LARC use in Egypt.
埃及被列为性别最不平等的国家之一，生育率处于20年来的高位，每名妇女平均生育3.5个孩子。妇女赋权是一种用于促进避孕措施使用和降低生育率的策略，但中东地区的相关证据有限。本研究利用2005年、2008年和2014年埃及人口与健康调查数据，来研究近期避孕方法选择的模式，以及妇女赋权与避孕方法类型（无、短效或长效可逆避孕（LARC）方法）之间的关联。通过对47545名处于生育年龄的已婚妇女进行全国代表性抽样，多项逻辑回归模型研究了妇女的自主权，特别是家庭决策以及对亲密伴侣暴力和避孕方法类型的态度。2014年，长效可逆避孕方法的使用显著下降，短效方法的使用高于2008年。做出家庭决策且对亲密伴侣暴力接受程度较低的妇女更有可能使用长效可逆避孕方法（与不使用任何方法相比）。与做出个人决策的妇女相比，与配偶做出更多共同决策的妇女更有可能使用长效可逆避孕方法（与不使用任何方法相比）。研究结果对计划生育项目具有启示意义，让男性参与到促进家庭性别平等和降低对亲密伴侣暴力接受程度的努力中，可能会促进埃及长效可逆避孕方法的使用。
