Evolution of Unmet Need for Contraception: Appreciating Husbands’ Effect in the Conceptualization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/gjhs.3693Keywords:
Contraception, Evolution, Conceptualization, HusbandsAbstract
Purpose: Uniquely, reproductive-age women will develop contraception needs pursuant to variation between contraceptive prevalence and fertility preferences. Among contraception needs, unmet need is the desire to reduce fertility by delaying or limiting childbirth besides abstaining contraception use among exposed reproductive-age women. With dearth of consolidated literature on conceptualization and ideation of unmet need for contraception, this paper synthesizes sparse findings from cogent fertility literature and generates single intelligible script.
Methodology: Conceptualizing unmet need preceded 1970s, evolving into current understanding pursuant to incorporation of multifarious assumptions and estimations. Initial conceptualization and documentation of contraception need and demand used data from knowledge, attitude and preference survey conducted in 1970s’ that identified pool of women in “irrational situation”. Incorporating evidence from fertility surveys and psychology literature, irrational women evolved into displaying “discrepant behaviour”, having “KAP-gap” and then unmet need for contraception. Further refinements incorporated “wantedness” of current pregnancy/ last childbirth, protection status and “intendendeness” of current pregnancy/ last childbirth.
Findings: Continued omission of husbands’ effect prompted cogent Authors to suggest existence of a pool of reproductive age women classified as having unmet need but genuinely have “no unmet” need. This study supports this argument by proffering that exposed reproductive-age women whose husband has virility loss attendant to genetic, health, social and lifestyle factors could assume superficial protection due to diminished conception risk oblivious of coital interaction.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study corroboratively incorporates husband issue of virility loss, and attendant dissertation helps reclassify such pool from having “unmet need” to “no unmet need” besides adducing evidence of overestimation.
Downloads
References
Bogaert, A. (2015). Asexuality: What It Is and Why It Matters. Journal of Sex Research, 52, 362–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2015.1015713
Bongaarts, J. (2014). The Impact of Family Planning Programs on Unmet Need and Demand for Contraception. Studies in Family Planning, 45(2), 247–262. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2014.00387.x?
Bongaarts, J. (2017a). Africa’s Unique Fertility Transition. Population and Development Review, 43, 39–58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26622873
Bongaarts, J. (2017b). The effect of contraception on fertility: Is sub-Saharan Africa different? Demographic Research, 37(6), 129–146. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.6
Bradley, S. E. K., & Casterline, J. B. (2014). Understanding Unmet Need: History, Theory, and Measurement. Studies in Family Planning, 45(2), 123–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2014.00381.x
Bradley, S. E. K., Croft, T. N., Fishel, J. D., & Westoff, C. F. (2012). Revising Unmet Need for Family Planning (No. DHS Analytical Studies 25; DHS Analytical Study, p. 93). Measure DHS. https://peerj.com/articles/10065/Supplemental_file_10-Revising_unmet_need_for_contraception-Bradley_et_al_2012_DHS.pdf
Call, V., Sprecher, S., & Schwartz, P. (1995). The Incidence and Frequency of Marital Sex in a National Sample. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57(3), 639–652. https://doi.org/10.2307/353919
Casterline, J. B., & El-Zeini, L. O. (2014). Unmet Need and Fertility Decline: A Comparative Perspective on Prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies in Family Planning, 45(2), 227–245. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2014.00386.x
Cleland, J., Harbison, S., & Shah, I. H. (2014). Unmet Need for Contraception: Issues and Challenges. Studies in Family Planning, 45(2), 105–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2014.00380.x
Freedman, R., Coombs, L. C., & Chang, M. (1972). Trends in Family Size Preferences and Practice of Family Planning: Taiwan, 1965-1970. Studies in Family Planning, 3(12), 281–196. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1965276
Freedman, R., Coombs, L. C., Chang, M., & Sun, T. (1974). Trends in fertility, family size preferences, and practice of family planning: Taiwan, 1965-1973. Studies in Family Planning, 5(9), 270–288. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1965133
Gudeloglu, A., & Parekattil, S. J. (2013). Update in the evaluation of the azoospermic male. Clinics, 68, 27–34. https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2013(Sup01)04
Mehta, A., & Sigman, M. (2015). Management of the dry ejaculate: A systematic review of aspermia and retrograde ejaculation. Fertility and Sterility, 104(5), 1074–1081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.09.024
Nortman, D. L. (1982). Measuring the Unmet Need for Contraception to Space and Limit Births. International Family Planning Perspectives, 8(4), 125–134. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2948132
Punab, M., Poolamets, O., Paju, P., Vihljajev, V., Pomm, K., Ladva, R., Korrovits, P., & Laan, M. (2017). Causes of male infertility: A 9-year prospective monocentre study on 1737 patients with reduced total sperm counts. Human Reproduction, 32(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dew284
Staveteig, S. (2017). Fear, opposition, ambivalence, and omission: Results from a follow-up study on unmet need for family planning in Ghana. PLOS ONE, 12(7), e0182076. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182076
Stokes, B. (1977). Filling the Family Planning Gap (No. 12; Worldwatch Paper, p. 55). United Nations Fund for Population Activities. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED139711
UNDESA. (2015). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations. https://www.un.org/pga/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/08/120815_outcome-document-of-Summit-for-adoption-of-the-post-2015-development-agenda.pdf
UNDESA. (2022). World Family Planning 2022: Meeting the changing needs for family planning: Contraceptive use by age and method (UN DESA/POP/2022/TR/NO. 4 No. 4; p. 40). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/documents/2023/Feb/undesa_pd_2022_world-family-planning.pdf
Westoff, C. F. (1978). The Unmet Need for Birth Control in Five Asian Countries. Family Planning Perspectives, 10(3), 173–181. https://doi.org/10.2307/2134309
Westoff, C. F. (1988). The Potential Demand for Family Planning: A New Measure of Unmet Need and Estimates For Five Latin American Countries. International Family Planning Perspectives, 14(2), 45–53. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2947679
Westoff, C. F., & Bankole, A. (1996). The Potential Demographic Significance of Unmet Need. Studies in Family Planning, 22(1), 16–20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2950797
Westoff, C. F., & Pebley, A. R. (1981). Alternative measures of unmet need for family planning in developing countries. International Family Planning Perspectives, 126–136. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2947843
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mahuro Gerald Mbuthia, Prof. Murungaru Kimani, Dr. Mutuku Andrew Kyalo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
