Negotiating Reproductive Outcomes in Uganda.

The results indicate that male partners are important in influencing the reproductive attitudes and behavior of women and that further work should be undertaken to understand the roles of various actors in reproductive decision-making.

Abstract

In Uganda, the Negotiating Reproductive Outcomes study is investigating the nature of negotiation within sexual unions. Data were gathered from focus groups held in the Masaka and Lira districts during February and March 1995 and during surveys of women aged 20-44 and their male partners carried out from October 1995 to February 1996. The data suggest that much of the bargaining and negotiating that occurs is indirect and nonverbal and, thus, leads to a great deal of misinterpretation. Even direct communication is fraught with complexity, misinterpretation, and mistrust. These results indicate that male partners are important in influencing the reproductive attitudes and behavior of women and that further work should be undertaken to understand the roles of various actors in reproductive decision-making.