: Women's rights

News from Population Matters.

  • Teens studying banner

    Gender equality boosts teen contraceptive use

    A new study published in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health shows that a country’s progress towards gender equity is reflected in greater use of contraceptives among its adolescents. Previous research…

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    Family planning gets European funding boost

    Funding for sexual health and family planning from European donor countries increased by 17% between 2016 and 2017, with the UK remaining one of the largest donors. The latest annual…

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    Stigma and fears – barriers to family planning in Africa

    A new study shows again the high “unmet need” for modern contraception among young, married women in sub-Saharan Africa – and identifies social and cultural bariers as significant reasons for…

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    Progress in family planning – but a long road ahead

    Last week, Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) released its annual report. The project is designed to enable 120 more million women and girls in the world’s poorest countries to use modern contraception…

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    Running to stand still? Meeting family planning targets.

    A new report shows that the world is still not on track to meet contraceptive use goals by 2020, largely due to lack of government action and funding shortfalls.  Slow progress The…

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    UN population report: progress, but much to do

    Placeholder lead The new State of the World Population 2018 report published by the United Nations Population Fund highlights the importance of having the power to choose the timing, number, and spacing…

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    Tanzanian president: “birth control is for the lazy”

    UPDATE 25 September 2018 Since this story was written, the Tanzanian government has ordered a US health charity to withdraw television advertisements promoting family planning. This worrying development suggests that…

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    Ending child marriage “morally right, economically smart”

    A new report examining the impact of child marriage in Ethiopia has highlighted the many devastating impacts it has on individuals and society. More than one-in-three girls are married below…

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    Empowering women and melted ice: PM conference 2018

    On Saturday, Population Matters’s 2018 conference, Climate change and Us: more feet, more heat? took place in London. Despite appalling weather in the run up to the event, hundreds of…

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    Global Gag Rule – one year on

    A year ago, US President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy. This led to major funding cuts to family planning services globally. A year on, the effects are starting…