Timor-Leste Health Care Seeking Behaviour Study - Secretaria de ...

Table 5 - Reasons for not birth spacing (HCSBS sample)ReasonWomenn (%)Menn (%)Heard of other’s bad experience 43 (36.4) 33 (26.8)Like babies 38 (32.2) 47 (38.2)Afraid of side effects 10 (8.5) 8 (6.5)Against spouse’s wishes 6 (5.1) 4 (3.3)Own previous bad experience 4 (3.4) 3 (2.4)Against traditional beliefs/ancestors 4 (3.4) 3 (2.4)Community opinion/reputation 3 (2.5) 0 (0.0)Against own family’s wishes 1 (0.9) 3 (2.4)Against religious beliefs - God 0 (0.0) 6 (4.9)Need to populate country 0 (0.0) 1 (0.8)Can’t afford to buy 0 (0.0) 1 (0.8)Other 9 (7.6) 14 (11.4)Total 118 (100.0) 123 (100.0)Decision making around birth spacingIn general, wives were more likely to seek to use a spacing method than their husbands;disagreement usually occurred where husbands rejected using a method. Where a husband did notagree, no contraception was used. Some FGD participants said that no spacing method would beused if either husband or wife disagreed. There was a tendency for adolescent men to be more opento birth spacing than married men.Timor-Leste Health Care Seeking Behaviour Study | 2009Most informants in Lautem and Viqueque said that a man’s parents (banin) should be involved indecision-making regarding birth spacing. Furthermore, it was anticipated that they would notsupport use of a spacing method by their daughter-in-law since this would reduce the opportunity to‘recuperate’ the loss associated with bride-price (barlake) through both male and female offspring.In Lautem, because a man’s sister’s bride-price has contributed towards her brother’s wife’s family,she may also be involved in the decision-making. Several, mostly female, informants, in five othersites (Aileu, Bobonaro, Covalima, Liquica and Manufahi) also mentioned that bride-price could beinfluential. If a man has submitted bride-price but does not demonstrate responsibility towards hiswife and children, a woman’s parents may encourage their daughter to decide to use a methodwithout informing her husband (Bobonaro, Aileu). Others suggested that a man’s parents wouldassess their daughter in-law’s health and the economic capacity of their son’s household. In Alas(Manufahi) and Laclo (Manututu), some informants claimed that barlake was not customary and,therefore, parents-in-law were not involved in such decisions.There was a tendency for women to be critical of a husband’s parents involvement in decisionmaking. Occasionally, where a husband and wife agreed to use a spacing method but expectedopposition from the husband’s parents, they did not inform them. In Lautem and Viqueque, somewomen spoke openly about using contraception without telling their husband for reasons of poorhealth, advanced maternal age or a weak household economy. Several men and women said that if aman was not economically responsible (mentioned as ‘not responsible’ la iha tanggung jawab), or atnight went out alone to gamble (joga futu manu), drink (lanu) or ‘hang out’ (buka lemo-lemo), thenhis wife was justified in using a method without letting him know.43