Rise In Use Of Condoms Among Unmarried Women

There has been an increase in the use of condoms among unmarried women in the past decade, according to National Family Health Survey 2015-16 conducted by the Union Health Ministry.

The survey states that the use of condoms increased from 2 percent to 12 percent among unmarried women in the age group of 15 to 49 years, indicating a six-fold increase in the past decade. However, the overall contraceptive prevalence rate was only 54 percent among married women (15-49 age group). Regional distribution of condom usage showed Punjab on top at 76% while Bihar, Meghalaya and Manipur were at 24%. The survey also revealed that three out of eight men still believed that use of contraceptives was a women's business.

The survey was prepared by the International Institute for Population Science (IIPS), involved interviews and field tests of 6,01,509 households with a response rate of 98%.