Worldwide, the most popular birth control methods are female sterilisation (30.1%), IUDs (21.5%) and the pill (13.9%). Male sterilisation, on the other hand, is a tiny fraction (3.7%).
Family planning, or choosing if you want to have children, and when and how, is a right. But 12 of every 100 sexually active women aged 15 to 49 cannot exercise it.
There are unmet needs in all kinds of countries, from the United States to Albania, but in the least developed countries, the rate is double the global average.
The main barriers to contraceptive use are fear of side effects and opposition from women themselves and people in their communities.
Religion continues to be a barrier to birth control. It can interfere with a gynecological consultation in Israel, in a purchase in a pharmacy in Mexico or in an imam-supervised sex education class in Senegal.
The three main monotheistic religions permit contraceptives in some cases, but a woman’s freedom of choice comes second to mens’ interpretation of scripture.
Women from around the world tell us about the contraceptive methods they know, the ones they use and the factors that have shaped their choices.
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