Corker Examines Role of Traditional Contraceptive Methods in Contemporary Family Planning
Posted: 5/28/2026 (CSDE Research)
External Affiliate Jamaica Corker (Independent Researcher) recently authored three publications that examine the often-overlooked role of traditional contraceptive methods in contemporary family planning, highlighting both persistent use and important gaps in how these methods are measured and understood. Drawing on new multi-country data from sub-Saharan Africa and global trend analyses, the studies show that traditional methods remain an important part of pregnancy prevention for many women and couples and that current survey approaches may substantially underestimate their use—particularly when traditional and modern methods are used concurrently. In an article in Population and Development Review, Corker and co-authors analyzed patterns and trends in traditional contraceptive use across all world regions (1970-2020). In two articles in Studies in Family Planning, Corker and co-authors use novel mixed methods project data (TEAM-UP) that measured the use of modern and/or non-modern (traditional) contraceptive methods and described the motivations for the traditional methods, in four sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. These papers underscore the need to rethink contraceptive measurement approaches and greater attention to capturing the full range of contraceptive preferences and behaviors in future research and to better inform rights-based family planning programming.