Negotiating Choice: Unpacking the Linkages between Women’s Relative Resources and Contraceptive Decision Making in India

This study examines how women’s access to resources, power in relationships and husbands’ gender role attitudes affect contraceptive decisions in India. Relational empowerment, a woman’s agency within her relationship, influences the extent to which resources translate into contraceptive control. While increased resources may empower women to negotiate within their relationships, traditional gender norms can constrain their autonomy, even when they feel empowered. Using data from a large Indian survey, the National Family Health Survey-5, which includes 37,889 couples, we find that women earning more than their husbands have greater relational empowerment and contraceptive control. This link weakens when husbands hold traditional gender views. Our findings show that supporting women’s reproductive rights requires addressing both resource inequalities and harmful gender beliefs.