Soccer square Between Never Married, Married and Cohabiting Women in Ghana

Abstract

This study investigated the level of unmet need for contraception between never
married, married, and cohabiting women in Ghana. Also examined were the
differences in unmet need for contraception for these women by their characteristics,
using the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data. The sample size was
13,472 participants, made up of 5,268 never married, 6,008 married, and 2,196
cohabiting, women. A quantitative approach using SPSS (V20) was employed for the
data analyses, which consisted of bivariate and multivariate analyses. The results
revealed that the total unmet need for contraception was mainly made up of spacing
for all women irrespective of their marital statuses. The characteristics of the women—
such as age, education, occupation, wealth index, religion, and region of residence—
were significantly related to unmet need for contraception. Hence, the study
concluded that all women—irrespective of their marital statuses—have a higher need
for spacing than limiting births. Thus, policies aimed at addressing the increase in
uptake of particularly modern contraceptives should be inclusive of all women. This
is expected to reduce the unmet need for contraception in the long-run. Also, reducing
unmet need for contraception in Ghana requires strategies that empower women to
align fertility intentions with consistent contraceptive use, thereby advancing
reproductive autonomy and national family planning goals.