The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) for 2023-24 has revealed a significant increase in the participation of married women in household decision-making. According to the data, 89% of married women aged 15-49 years were involved in decisions concerning their own healthcare, major household purchases, and visits to family and relatives. This marks a steady rise from 84% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) and 88.7% in NFHS-5 (2019-21).
Urban-Rural Divide and Financial Inclusion
The participation rate was high across both rural and urban areas, with 88% in rural regions and 91.4% in urban areas. Additionally, the percentage of women having a bank or savings account that they personally use has surged from 78.6% in the previous survey to 89% in NFHS-6, indicating improved financial inclusion.
Persistent Challenges in Workforce Participation
Despite these gains, challenges remain. Only 30.8% of women had worked in the last 12 months and were paid in cash, a slight increase from 25.4% in NFHS-5. This figure was 29.8% in urban areas and 31.2% in rural areas, highlighting a persistent gender gap in paid employment.
Family Planning and Sterilization Trends
The survey also sheds light on family planning practices. The use of any family planning method by married women rose to 69.1% from 66.7% in NFHS-5. However, a stark gender disparity exists in sterilization: female sterilization stood at 36.5%, while male sterilization was merely 0.5%. In rural areas, female sterilization was higher at 38.1% compared to 32.6% in urban areas, while male sterilization remained negligible in both settings.
This data underscores deep-rooted societal norms where the responsibility of family planning is disproportionately placed on women. The unmet need for family planning among married women aged 15-49 years was 8.5%, higher in rural areas (9.1%) than urban areas (7%). Unmet need refers to women who wish to delay or stop childbearing but are not using contraception.
Overall, the NFHS-6 findings highlight progress in women's agency and financial autonomy, while also pointing to persistent inequalities in workforce participation and reproductive health responsibilities.
