Understanding Contraception Use among Muslims of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

Laxmi Kant Dwivedi, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Usha Ram, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Baishali Goswami, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Within social demography, religion is frequently cited as an important factor forming the basis of one's identity. Values and practices placed on a list of demographic parameters could have intended and unintended effects on demographic performances of a particular religious community. However, Muslims across the globe are not behaving in a similar fashion. Keeping this view in mind, the present paper examines the attitude of Muslim women towards adoption of contraceptives in three neighboring countries namely India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. NFHS-1998-99 for India and DHS data for Pakistan-1992-93 and Bangladesh-1993-94 are used to carry out the study. It is clear from our analyses that the religious component of prohibition against contraceptives is not that high in Bangladesh as it is in Pakistan and also to some extent in India. Hence the goodwill of authorities in framing the policies may work in achieving the desired demographic goals, defying the conservative religious dictation.