Barriers to Modern Contraceptive Use in Rural Peru

Abstract

This paper examines Quechua-speaking Indians' choice of contraceptive methods and discusses barriers to the use of modern contraceptives. A study conducted in a Peruvian highland community shows that contraceptive choice is strongly related to a couple's life experiences, their contact with urban centers, their economic status, and their emphasis on cultural values. Among contraceptive users, husbands are concerned with family size and encourage their wives to seek information about the use of modern contraceptives. A discrepancy in attitudes exists between spouses: the men's positive attitude toward modern contraception contrasts with the women's traditional desire for a large family. In this study population, modern contraception is a novelty that has reached only a few families. The majority of the couples practice natural and traditional family planning methods, which are not reliable. Villagers do not use modern contraceptives as a result of cultural barriers created by family planning services that do not take into account the lifestyle of these people, insufficient knowledge of human physiology, comments from dissatisfied users, and women's reliance on their reproductive role for self-esteem.