Access as a Factor in Differential Contraceptive Use between Mayans and Ladinos in Guatemala

Eric Seiber, Tulane University
Jane T. Bertrand, Tulane University

Previous studies consistently have demonstrated that the Mayan women of Guatemala have a far lower level of contraceptive use their ladino counterparts (e.g., 50 percent versus 13 percent in the 1998 DHS). Most researchers have attributed this to social, economic, and cultural differences between the two groups that result in Mayans having a far lower demand for family planning than ladinos. This paper tests an alternative hypothesis: that the contraceptive supply environment may be more limited for Mayans than ladinos. This analysis uses an innovative approach of linking household level data from the 1995/6 Guatemala DHS and with facility-level data from the 1997 Providers Census for four highland departments. The analysis determines that the FP supply environment differed little for the two groups. However, access may not be the determining factor in contraceptive use, given that less than 8 percent of users obtained their (last) contraceptive from the nearest facility.