title: Microfinance participation and contraceptive decision-making: results from a national sample of women in Bangladesh.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to assess whether microfinance participation affords greater contraceptive decision-making power to women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population based secondary data analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study using nationally representative data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 we conducted multinomial logistic regression to estimate the odds of contraceptive decision-making by respondents and their husbands based on microfinance participation. Microfinance participation was measured as a dichotomous variable and contraceptive decision-making was conceptualized based on who made decisions about contraceptive use: respondents only; their partners or husbands only; or both.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odds of decision-making by the respondent, with the reference case being joint decision-making, were higher for microfinance participants, but they were not significant. The odds of decision-making by the husband, with the reference case again being joint decision-making, were significantly lower among men who were partnered with women who participated in microfinance (RRR = 0.70, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microfinance participation by women allowed men to share decision-making power with their wives that resulted in higher odds of joint decision-making.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, United States. Electronic address: nadinemurshid1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Murshid
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, United States.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Ely
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001459:Bangladesh; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005376:Financial Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bangladesh; Contraceptive decision-making; Cultural context; Microfinance