Assessing Unmet Need for Contraception 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.