Article Socioeconomic and Cultural Differentials of Contraceptive Usage in West Bengal: Evidence from National Family Health Survey Data Ismail Haque 1 and Priyank Pravin Patel 2 Abstract Contraception, the prevention of pregnancy through temporary or permanent means, can act as an effective instrument for achieving population stabilization in any region. This study deals with the socioeconomic and cultural differentials influencing contraceptive use among presently married women aged between 20 and 49 years currently in the state of West Bengal, India, as discerned from National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3 (2005–2006) data. To examine the above, simple percentage distribution, cross tabulation, and binary logistic regression analysis have been employed to the available NFHS-3 data for select socioeconomic and cultural variables. The fundamental findings of the current study were that among the various socioeconomic and cultural factors, the most impor- tant ones that persuaded contraceptive use and choices among women were their number of living children, wealth index, media exposure, and degree of women empowerment. Results from the logi- stic regression analysis further reveals that the influence of women’s educational level on contraceptive use remains highly significant even after factoring in other socioeconomic and cultural variables. Keywords contraceptive use, modern methods, traditional methods, West Bengal, socioeconomic, culture, family planning Introduction In 1952, India became the first country in the developing world to launch a national program empha- sizing family planning to the extent necessary for reducing birth rates in order ‘‘to stabilize the pop- ulation at a level consistent with the requirement of the national economy.’’ 1 Since then, fertility levels have declined throughout the country, albeit at varying paces in different regions; while 1 Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India 2 Department of Geography, Presidency University, Kolkata, India Corresponding Author: Ismail Haque, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110067, India. Email: ismailhaque140489@gmail.com Journal of Family History 2015, Vol. 40(2) 230-249 ª 2015 The Author(s) Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0363199015572753 jfh.sagepub.com at JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY on March 20, 2015 jfh.sagepub.com Downloaded from