Female Perceptions of Male Involvement in Family Planning and Agreement on Desired Number of Children: Evidence from a National Survey in Peru, 2019

We examined whether women’s perceptions of men’s involvement in family planning—specifically partner approval and joint decision-making about contraception—were associated with perceived couple concordance on the desired number of children in Peru. Using data from the 2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES), we conducted a cross-sectional analysis accounting for survey weights, stratification, and clustering. We fitted survey-weighted generalized linear models (Poisson family with a log link) to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) with design-based (Taylor-linearized) 95% confidence intervals. The analytic sample included 14,956 women: 67.5% were aged 30–49 years and 76.7% lived in urban areas; 96.2% perceived partner approval of family planning and 76.8% reported joint contraceptive decision-making. In adjusted models, partner approval was associated with a higher prevalence of couple concordance (aPR = 1.35; 95% CI = [1.10, 1.62]), and joint decision-making showed a similar association (aPR = 1.14; 95% CI = [1.07, 1.20]). Overall, women’s perceptions of men’s involvement were positively related to concordance in fertility preferences. Programs that promote gender-equitable, couple-centered approaches—such as male-friendly clinic hours, couple counseling, and communication skills training—may strengthen family planning outcomes in Peru.