FAMILY-PLANNING IN VIETNAM WOMENS EXPERIENCES AND DILEMMA - A COMMUNITY STUDY FROM THE RED RIVER DELTA

In traditional Vietnamese culture the expectations on women were to ge t at least one son, who could carry on the lineage. In the 1980s, a tw o-child population policy was introduced and family planning campaigns intensified. The aim of this study was to explore women's experience of family planning in relation to the potentially conflicting demands on their fertility. Data on reproductive histories and contraceptive u se were collected in a random sample survey among 206 women of reprodu ctive age in Thai Birth province, northern Vietnam. Qualitative data w ere obtained in interviews with a selected group of women. Over half o f the women used modern contraception, mainly tile intrauterine device (IUD). The perceived side-effects of the IUD were much higher than th ose reported by local health workers or from clinical studies of the s ame IUD. Women's problems in fertility regulation are discussed in the broader context of a society in transition. The importance of male pr ogeny was still strong. Many families with 'only' daughters had a thir d child, contrary to the two-child policy. It is suggested that confli cting demands on women's fertility are reflected in rile high rates of IUD-complaint and psychosomatic side-effects. Improved services and w ider contraceptive choice are needed, as well as research on the inter action between population policies, sociocultural change and women's h ealth.