Abstract
Introduction: It is necessary to empower women to enable them to make their own reproductive choices, including contraception as well as use of modern contraception. Our article aims to highlight the importance of women’s empowerment regarding contraceptive use in family planning and poverty eradication. Methods: Our literature search included data on family planning programs, contraceptive use, awareness of and access to contraception, and women empowerment regarding contraceptive use in India; approaches to policymaking regarding family planning; and international data on early legal access, women’s reproductive rights, and barriers to contraceptive use. Results: Despite the introduction of oral contraceptives, 38% of currently married women in the 15–49 age group use sterilization as a method of contraception. Only 28% of married Indian adolescents use contraception. The highest reliance on sterilization is found in women married off early, conceiving early, and with little access to education and information. There are barriers to both use of contraceptives and reversible contraceptives. Discussion: Family planning programs in India can focus on women’s reproductive rights, rather than population control, to bridge the gap in the unmet need for family planning, apart from making information and resources on contraception available to women from all socioeconomic strata.
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