Reproductive freedom and contraceptive use in Burkina Faso

Moussa Zan, ISSP

The Cairo conference emphasized the freedom, which should enjoy couples in using contraception according to their fertility desire. This requires the absence of constraints, including psychosocial and cognitive ones. The capability approach offers thus a framework to analyse the relationship between reproductive freedoms and contraceptive use in order to achieve one’s family project. This paper explores the real reproductive freedom enjoyed by Burkina women by analysing the reasons behind their contraceptive behaviour. Does their contraceptive behaviour express reproductive freedoms, that is to say the ability to conceive and realize the family project they have reason to value. To treat this question, we shall analyse the practices of women aged 15-49 years old in order to understand the extent to which their contraceptive behaviours match their fertility desires. We used quantitative and qualitative data collected in Burkina Faso on family planning behaviours and psychosocial and cognitive accessibility of contraception.