The Effect of Decision-Making Patterns on Demand for Modern Contraceptives in Ghana: Evidence from the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey

Arnold Degboe, Pennsylvania State University

The main objective of the study is to examine the effect of household decision-making patterns on the use of modern contraceptives in Ghana. Few studies have examined empirically the effect of decision-making on contraceptive behavior in sub-Saharan Africa. The study contributes to the gap in literature by assessing how decision-making patterns affect women’s demand for modern contraceptive use in Ghana. Using the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2003 dataset, I assess the relationship between decision-making patterns associated with large household purchases and female contraceptive use. Next, I use logistic regression to model modern contraceptive use with decision-making on large household purchases as the key explanatory variable. The results show that joint decision-making by couples in Ghana increases the use of modern contraceptives by women. Education, form of employment remuneration, and residence in urban areas explain some of the effect of joint decision-making pattern on the demand for modern contraceptives.