Unmet need for family planning in Iran

Aliyar Ahmadi, University of Tehran

This study is an investigation on unmet need for family planning in Iran. It aims at declaring the women's reasons for having an unmet need and identifying the socio–economic determinants of unmet need. The study is based on DHS of Iran which was conducted in 2000. It identifies that unmet need for family planning varies from 3.6% in Tehran city to 31.3% in rural areas of Sistan Va Balouchestan (east of Iran). A high proportion of women with unmet need are those who have experienced unwanted pregnancies. Health concerns about contraceptives and social disapprovals are other important reasons. Interestingly, inadequate access to services and lack of knowledge about methods and outlets are not among the predominant causes of unmet need. The study identifies a significant relation between the unmet need and place of residence, age, work status, mass media access, education, living standards, knowledge about contraceptives and children ever born.