The Influence of Women’s Empowerment on The Preference for Contraceptive Methods in Indonesia: A Multinomial Logistic Regression Modelling

The concept of women's empowerment encompasses enabling women to take control of their own lives, independently make choices, and fulfill their complete capabilities. Numerous research studies examined the correlation between the empowerment of women and their reproductive health. In Indonesia, female labor force participation is relatively low. As a result, research on the influence of empowering women on contraceptive method preference in Indonesia makes sense. This research aims to find the multinomial logistic regression model in choosing contraceptive methods for married women in Indonesia and to identify the women’s empowerment traits that most impact contraceptive method choice. For this study, the researchers utilized secondary data obtained from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). The participants consisted of women between the ages of 15 and 49 who were married. The total number of respondents sampled was 49,216. Variables that significantly affect contraceptive method use include the respondent's current employment, the respondent has bank account or other financial institution accounts, the cumulative count of offspring previously born and beating justified if the wife argues with her husband. The analysis is obtained using the multinomial logistic regression test, independency, multicollinearity, and parameter test, and the selection is made by considering either the smallest value of Akaike's information criterion or the option that achieves the highest level of accuracy. Findings highlight four significant variables: Firstly, employed women are more likely to use contraceptives than the unemployed. Secondly, access to banking services correlates with a higher likelihood of contraceptive use. Thirdly, women with more children tend to prefer long-acting reversible contraceptives. Lastly, endorsement of spousal violence justifiability is linked to conventional contraceptive selection. These results emphasize the roles of employment, financial access, family size, and gender-based violence perceptions in shaping contraceptive choices in Indonesia. Model 3 emerges as the most accurate predictor of preferences after eliminating six variables based on rigorous testing and multicollinearity considerations. These findings underscore the importance of addressing economic empowerment and gender-related issues in Indonesian reproductive health programs and policies. Such a comprehensive approach can enhance women's autonomy, enabling them to make crucial life choices and ultimately improving their overall well-being.