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Trends of Reasons for No Use of Contraception among Young Women and the Role of Sporadic Sex in Mexico

Fatima Juarez, El Colegio de Mexico
Gabriela Mejia-Pailles, General Secretary of The National Population Council, Mexico

Since the 1970s, Mexico has been widely recognized for its successful public contraception program, providing contraceptives free of charge for the whole population, with an impressive increase in contraceptive prevalence and bringing important reductions in fertility. Nevertheless, among young women 15-24, fertility and unplanned pregnancies have remained high. Research on contraception, unmet need and reasons for not using contraception is very limited in the country. As it is important to respond effectively to the barriers women face in using contraception, using data from the Mexican National Demographic Surveys ENADID 2014 and 2018, we explore the reasons for not using contraception among married and never-married women 15-24 years, tracing the changes occurring over time. The objectives of this study are threefold: a) to estimate contraceptive use and non-use among young women and the influence of socio-economic, and demographic aspects; b) to examine in-depth the main reasons for not using contraceptives and their associated factors among women with unmet need, and c) to identify changes in time of contraceptive prevalence and reasons for not using contraception. Preliminary findings indicate a growing trend of young married and never-married citing “sporadic sex” as the main barrier to contraceptive use, with significantly high proportions.

Keywords: Family planning and contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session 71. Barriers to Contraceptive Use