title: WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND FAMILY PLANNING: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.
abstract: This paper reviews the literature examining the relationship between women's empowerment and contraceptive use, unmet need for contraception and related family planning topics in developing countries. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Popline and Web of Science search engines in May 2013 to examine literature published between January 1990 and December 2012. Among the 46 articles included in the review, the majority were conducted in South Asia (n=24). Household decision-making (n=21) and mobility (n=17) were the most commonly examined domains of women's empowerment. Findings show that the relationship between empowerment and family planning is complex, with mixed positive and null associations. Consistently positive associations between empowerment and family planning outcomes were found for most family planning outcomes but those investigations represented fewer than two-fifths of the analyses. Current use of contraception was the most commonly studied family planning outcome, examined in more than half the analyses, but reviewed articles showed inconsistent findings. This review provides the first critical synthesis of the literature and assesses existing evidence between women's empowerment and family planning use.
authors.affiliation: *Bixby Center for Population,Health and Sustainability,University of California,Berkeley,USA.
authors.forename: Ndola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Prata
authors.affiliation: *Bixby Center for Population,Health and Sustainability,University of California,Berkeley,USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: †University of California,San Francisco,USA.
authors.forename: Megan J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Huchko
authors.affiliation: ‡Fielding School of Public Health,University of California,Los Angeles,USA.
authors.forename: Jessica D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gipson
authors.affiliation: §University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine,Los Angeles,USA.
authors.forename: Mellissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Withers
authors.affiliation: ¶UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law,Science and Health Policy,San Francisco,USA.
authors.forename: Shayna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: ‡Fielding School of Public Health,University of California,Los Angeles,USA.
authors.forename: Erica J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ciaraldi
authors.affiliation: #University of California,San Francisco,USA.
authors.forename: Ushma D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001208:Asia; D003142:Communication; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D003906:Developing Countries; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011247:Pregnancy; D014933:Women's Rights