The Changing Influence of China’s Family Planning Programme on Women’s Contraceptive Choices: Evidence from a Multilevel Analysis of the Recent UNFPA Reproductive Health Surveys

James Brown, University of Southampton
Bohua Li, China Population Information and Research Center (CPIRC)
Sabu S. Padmadas, University of Southampton

Historically, the family planning programme in China has been driven administratively with a strong emphasis on post partum IUD use after first birth and sterilization after any subsequent births. Following the ICPD recommendations, China began implementing a client-friendly informed choices approach to the delivery of family planning services, encouraging women or couples to be the prime decision makers of their methods of choice rather than service providers. Using data from the UNFPA reproductive health and family planning surveys conducted during September 2003 and November 2005, this paper applies multilevel modelling techniques to demonstrate the effect of changes in the family planning programme on women’s contraceptive decisions and behaviour in 30 selected counties covering eastern, central and western regions of China. The preliminary results show clear evidence of county-level effects, underscoring the influence of family planning workers in determining women’s choices to use IUD at parity one and sterilization at parity two.