Research Proposal: Family Planning in Bangladesh

Date: November 26, 2014

To: Shafqat Chaudhuri
From: Rifah Tasnia, English 105, Sec.11; ID# 1210250030
Subject: Proposal to do a research paper on the differences between the views of
men and women about how and how far to practice family planning.

INTRODUCTION
Family planning knowledge and decision-making has expanded over recent decades from a
nearly exclusive focus on womens knowledge, attitudes and intentions to a more comprehensive
approach that emphasizes the importance of mens involvement. Family planning is
the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control, future financing and mixing
your religious views in your planning. Family planning allows spacing of pregnancies and can
delay pregnancies in young women at increased risk of health problems and death from early
childbearing. Family planning enables women who wish to limit the size of their families to do
so. Because its not only about the health issue of women, it also influences the financial,
economical and mental conditions of them. Consequently, in recent years, the importance of
including men in reproductive health matters has received increasing recognition.
Though it is very important to participate both the men and women in planning for the family, in
our most of the men are not seemed to be very much interested in this kind of discussions.
Strengthening communication between partners about reproductive health and involving men in
health promotion can lead to better health for the entire family. But the views of men and women
about family planning are different. In Bangladesh, the situation of male participation in family
planning presents a dismal. So, I want to find out whether the men prefer a bigger family or the
women prefer a bigger family most. I will also try to find which group think in which way about
their family, how and how far to increase the family and how to manage financial factors. I will
find out the differences between the views of male and female on those topics.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
In my research I plan to investigate differences between the views of men and women about
how and how far to practice family planning. I will try to find out who want a bigger family and
who want a smaller one. I will also work on how they think about the changes that will come in
financial and economical conditions of the family. This research will also include the area of the
spacing of pregnancies, use of contraceptives and the health issues of both men and women. And
I will find these informations by addressing the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Do men and women think same about their families?

Are men interested in family planning?
Are men more interested in family planning than women?
Do men want more children than women or the women want more than the men?
How much space they want between each child if they are planning to have more than

one? Is there any difference between the thoughts of men and women?
6. Do men know better than women about contraceptives?
7. Which group (men/women) is more conscious about their mates health?
8. Are men more conscious about the financial condition of the family than the women?
9. Who (men or women) are more thoughtful about the education of children?
10. Does a bigger family create conflicts between husband and wife?
11. Do men emphasize on religious views more than women in their families?
12. In which factor of family the views of men and women differ the most?
13. In our society how and how far male and female practice family planning?

HYPOTHESIS
The concept of examining the differences between the views of men and women about how and
how far they should practice family planning may be will give the same result as I am expecting.
I think men and women think differently about families. Women nowadays I think want a smaller
family as they have to pay for it. On the other hand sometimes men are indifferent and
sometimes they want bigger families. I expect the result that will come from men will be they
want bigger families. I think men think about the financial factors more than the women.
Women take care of the members of the family more than the men. And also women think about
the religious views more than the men. I think living with their parents in a same house
nowadays depend on women. And the result will come as I am guessing. I expect that both men

and women will think about their childs education. The involvement rate of women will be more
than men in family planning according to me.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
I am planning to conduct a survey of a representative sampling of at least 50 young persons,
divided into two groups based on gender; 25 men and 25 women. I will present a good
questionnaire in front of them so that they can express their thoughts and I can use those useful
rates in my further research.
For my secondary research I am planning to use the resources from the web to make my paper
stronger. I will use data from articles, other published surveys and other documents from the
web. Some samples are given belowTilahun T, Coene G, Luchters S, Kassahun W, Leye E, et al. (2013) Family Planning Knowledge,
Attitude and Practice among Married Couples in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia.
URL: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061335
Shafei MN, Shah MS, Tengku Ismail TA(2012) Knowledge and Attitude towards Family
Planning Practice and Prevalence of Short Birth Spacing Among Residents,
URL: http://omicsonline.org/2161-0711/2161-0711-2-180.php?%2520aid=9586
Kim, Involving Men in Family Planning, Johns Hopkins CCP, 1996.
URL: http://www.igwg.org/igwg_media/involvingmenguide/ModuleII.pdf

ORGANIZATION
I will divide my research paper into some sections like- Introduction, Background, Nature of
Men and Women toward Family Planning, Importance of Male participation in family planning ,
Level and trend of contraceptive use in Bangladesh, Current status of male and female
participation in family planning in Bangladesh, Constraints of their participation in Bangladesh,
Prospects of male participation in Bangladesh, Limitations, My view point on this topic and
Summary of Findings. I will put my questions and hypothesis based on these sections to
complete my research work.

TIME TABLE
I have a plan to complete my primary research by the 1st week of November, and my secondary
research by mid- November. I shall complete my whole paper by the end of November and
submit it by the specified deadline.

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL

Sir, I am requesting your approval for my research proposal. If there is any mistake, you can
make a call, and I will modify and improve it. I will try to resubmit it after making it perfect just
like you want. I would always be grateful for your advice and help in conducting my research
and completing the project.