ABSTRACT
Given the background of sustained social oppression against selected social groups in Bihar, the government introduced a new nomenclature for the most severely affected groups as Mahadalits (MD) in 2007 to offer strong affirmative action (AA). In this backdrop, this chapter looks into the adoption of modern contraception by young women (18–22 years) in selected districts in Bihar and finds out whether the women from the MD social group are especially constrained to choose modern contraception, and if so, what are the reasons behind that? This study also helps to locate the prime correlates behind the low usage of modern contraception among young married women in Bihar, propelling a continuous population rise. On the basis of a primary survey of 600 young women aged 18–22, we found that MD women have a very strong propensity to avoid modern contraception compared to all non-MD groups. Education of the woman and her husband and economic status are weak predictors of contraception usage, thus challenging basic theories of capabilities and development. Though more education than husband among all non-MD women helps them with the choice in favour of modern contraception, MD women cannot leverage their better relative education to choose modern contraception. Though ASHA workers rarely discuss contraception during their home visits, when they do so, women tend to opt for modern methods. The partial failure of supply-side intervention and AA is primarily because of the very strong son preference among all women in the state. Unless these social norms are controlled with innovative information-education-campaign modules and adult education facilities, generic AA cannot deliver the desired goal in terms of socio-economic indicators.
