Factors Leading to Unmet Need for Family Planning Methods

Abstract

Unmet need for family planning is one of the major problems in India. Our country stood first position in population in the world. Unmet need is the point of gap between women’s reproductive intentions and their contraceptive behaviour. This will lead to bring unwanted child in the society, increase family burden, illness of maternal and child health and sometimes death is ultimate consequences. This review focus on different leading factor of unmet need. These are intervention of male persons decision making power for family planning, unawareness of govt policy among the couple, unavailability of family planning method in need, most of the couple does not showing positive attitude towards use of family planning method. Sometimes present false belief and misconception. For remove this curse from the society intensive awareness programme, motivation, counselling and periodical follow upis required. Effective training of health workers and good cohesiveness among the team member is also important.

Introduction

Overview

Unmet need for family planning refers to women of reproductive age who are married or in a union, are fertile and sexually active, but are not using contraception despite not wanting more children or wanting to delay the next birth. This gap between reproductive intention and contraceptive use negatively impacts maternal and child health and contributes to broader societal issues.

Key Statistics

• India has the highest population globally (1.44 billion) as of 2024.

• Unmet need in India is 9.4% (NFHS-V), while West Bengal has a prevalence of 6.72%.

• Despite a decline in the fertility rate (from 2.92 in 2005 to 2.0 in 2020), unmet need persists.

Impacts of Unmet Need

• On Women: Recurrent pregnancies, unsafe abortions, anemia, infections, and even maternal death.

• On Children: Low birth weight, premature birth, neonatal infections, and death.

• On Society: Larger family size, poverty, early marriage, unemployment, hunger, and social violence.

Government Response

• Free distribution of contraceptives through health workers at the doorstep.

• Promotion of informed choice (cafeteria approach), not coercion.

• Continuous efforts under the National Health Mission since 1952.

• Inclusion of unmet need as a focus in National Population Policy 2020.

Despite significant investment, the programme hasn’t achieved optimal results due to social and systemic barriers.

Major Barriers Identified

1. Gender Inequality in Decision-Making

   • Women often lack autonomy.

   • Husbands, relatives, and community/religious leaders dominate decisions.

   • Lack of female education and economic power further limits agency.

2. Lack of Awareness

   • Many couples are unaware of free government services.

   • Misconceptions, fear of side effects, and cultural shyness persist.

   • Studies show high unmet need in urban slums and tribal communities due to low awareness.

3. Availability & Accessibility Issues

   • Limited male contraceptive options; female-centric approach.

   • Poor access in rural/underserved areas.

   • Health workers often lack motivation and resources.

   • Community leaders rarely involved in promoting family planning.

4. Attitudes, Beliefs, and Misconceptions

   • Preference for male children.

   • Misconceptions and religious resistance to contraception.

   • Beliefs about side effects or infertility lead to fear and non-use.

   • Studies show unmet need is highest in young women and certain religious/ethnic groups (e.g., Muslim and Santhal communities).

Conclusion

Though total fertility rate is declined 2005 to 2020 is 2.92 to 2. But till now total unmet need of family planning is 9.4 (NFHS- V) in our country. Proper motivation, counselling of couples on family planning is routinely required.Emphasis on health awareness programme on importance of using family planning method and about health benefit of the people in rural and urban areas. Build up a positive motivation among the health worker. Proper liaison among the panchayet leader and other authorities, NGOs, local people with health worker for awareness campaign throughout the year. Proper monitoring and taking feedback about the utilization of family planning method among the couple is required. In this way we can remove the curse of unmet need of family planning from our society.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Swagata Mukhopadhyay, Smriti Mani, M . Prakasamma. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.