Recent Clanges in Contraceptive Use in Korea

최근의 가족계획실태와 전망

This paper is aimed to analyse the recent changes in family planning as a step in an evaluation of the results of the population control policy which has been strenuously pursued by the government since December 1981. The data used in this analysis comes from the 1985 national fertility and family planning survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Population and Health (KIPH) in May 1985. According to the 1985 survey data, there have been great changes in both the contraceptive practice and fertility rates since the strengthening of the government's population control policy in 1 981. The contraceptive practice rate for married women aged 15-44 has increased from 57.7% in 1982 to 70.3% in 1985, an increase of 12.6% points in the short span of only 3 years. During the same period, the total fertility rate has declined from 2.7 in 1982 to the population replacement level which was planned to achieve by 1 988. More than 80% of women aged over 30 or with two children or more are practicing contraception, while the practice rates of women with 0-1 children are 14.0% and 45.1% respectively. The survey has revealed that the increase of contraceptive practice rate during 1982-1985 has mainly attributed to the high acceptance of sterilization procedures which practice rate of the married women has increased from 28.1% to 40.3% for the period. Also, the survey data shows that 24.7% of those women with only one child is practicing contraception for thepurpose of fertility termination. The government, taking into account of rapid changes in contraceptive practice and fertility rates, is formulating a population plan during the sixth fiveyear economic and social development plan (1987-1991) to achieve 1% ofpopulation growth rate by 1993, which was planned to realize by 2000. In order to meet this demographic goal, the existing population control policy measures should be improved to be suited to the recent contraceptive use and fertility changes. From this standpoint, the following considerations should be put forth; 1) improvement of the current program management systems including target allocation and evaluation schems for recruiting new acceptors in the young 20s groups to use contraceptives for birth spacing and to increase high continuation rates through the strengthening of follow-up services for the acceptors, 2) increase of self-supporting contraceptive users by promoting commercial advertisements on contraceptives through mass media including T.V. and radio, 3) development of social support policies including incentive schems, and strengthening of IE & C activities for increasing the proportion of the one-child family, 4) strengthening of population and family planning education in and out school youth, and 5) strengthening of management capabilities at the provincial and local program managers.