The article “Who decides on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights?” (2024) by Siyang Kong, Lin Rouvroye, and Anne Gauthier examines women’s autonomy in sexual and reproductive health decisions across ten countries using data from the second round of the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS-II). The study focuses on three key areas: decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and healthcare. Findings indicate that while nearly all women can make autonomous decisions about sexual relations and healthcare, decisions about contraceptive use are often made jointly with partners. For instance, in the Netherlands, about 50% of women report making contraceptive decisions jointly with their partners. This pattern of joint decision-making on contraceptive use is observed in several other countries as well. The study highlights the importance of considering both individual and joint decision-making dynamics when assessing women’s autonomy in reproductive health.
Kong, S., Rouvroye, L., & Gauthier, A. (2024). Who decides on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights? Demos: Bulletin on Population and Society, 40(5). Link to article
