Comparing Contraception Use

There were very many facts that surprised me while looking through The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World. One of the most interesting things I noticed was when comparing the use of contraception and female genital mutilation (FGM). The areas where there are the least amount of contraception use, 10% or fewer, were also the areas where FGM is used. This area is in mid-Africa. The only country that did not fit into this comparison was Egypt, where FGM is almost universal and there is also a 75% contraception use.

Another interesting fact about FGM, was that it is banned by law in most of the countries it is most prevalent in. For example in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea where the prevalence of FGM is greater than 50%, there are laws that ban the practice. I am curious why these practices are continuing despite this.

I was also surprised by the wide use of female sterilization, which makes up 34% of contraception use, especially in the more developed countries. The countries that had the highest use of female sterilization were countries that had over 50% use of contraception, such as the United States, Canada, and China.

Finally, I expected to see that the areas with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS would also be the areas with the lowest use of contraception. However, mid-Africa appeared to be the area with the least contraception use, and southeast Africa was the area with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence. For example, South Africa has over a 75% contraception use, however, the adults carrying HIV is between 5% and 19%. Botswana is similar with a 26%-50% contraception use and also a 20% or higher prevalence of HIV.