State of World Population 2012 - UNFPA Haiti

tRicardo and Sarain Mexico City saythey have decided towait until they finishschool and find jobsbefore they marryand have children.©UNFPA/RicardoRamirez Arriolaelderly, as was documented in another studyfrom Matlab, Bangladesh (Chaudhuri, 2005;Chaudhuri, 2009).Family planning and the well-being ofboys and menThe impact of family planning on men’s physicalhealth is likely not significant. However, delayingand preventing unintended pregnancies andbirths can have an impact on their schooling andemployment opportunities (Montgomery, 1996).Where a man is obliged to take responsibilityfor a woman’s pregnancy, he may be forced toleave school (though without facing the samesocial stigma a woman would) in order to workand support the woman. Like most mothers, aresponsible father may have to give up opportunitiesfor lucrative employment, accept jobs thatare less than ideal, and give up opportunities forcareer growth and development.Outside or within marriage, an unintendedpregnancy can have an effect on the mentalhealth of both parents, particularly whenpartners differ in their commitment towards apregnancy (Leathers and Kelley, 2000). Evidenceindicates that the incidence of depression, physicalabuse, and other mental health problems areall higher among those who experience unintendedpregnancies than where pregnancies areintended. These issues affect not only the menand women concerned, but their children andfamilies (Korenman et al., 2002).Evidence also suggests that unwantedpregnancies are often associated with higherlevels of marital dissolution, lower householdincomes, and a variety of negative psychosocialeffects on child-development (McLanahan andSandefur, 1994).Health, demographic change, thewealth of nations and sustainabledevelopmentThe impact of improved sexual and reproductivehealth, including family planning, and82 CHAPTER:4: THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF FAMILY PLANNING