Men's approval of family planning in Bangladesh.

This article attempts to evaluate men's approval of family planning in Bangladesh using the couple data set from the recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 1999-2000. Family planning approval is addressed both from individual and couple perspectives. Analysis of BDHS data shows that about 85% of the wives report that their husbands approve of family planning, which is lower than the wives' own approval rate (95%). Using the couple data set, husbands' characteristics were matched to the wives' responses on family planning approval. Regression analyses show that age, education, access to TV, inter-spousal communication, current use of family planning and the number of living children significantly determine family planning approval among both men as well as couples. Family planning approval was found to be much lower in Sylhet than in the other administrative divisions. Multilevel modelling analysis suggests almost negligible variation at the community level. The findings indicate the need for careful evaluation of the DHS questions in order to measure appropriately men's family planning attitudes.