摘要：We examine family planning in terms of the adoption of a “contraceptive culture”, as described by knowledge, practice and intentions, and its links with birth spacing. Analyses of DHS from Mali (2006) and Ghana (2008) confirm the persistence of a large gap between knowledge and practice- knowledge does not erase inequalities in practice – and the role of “conversion factors”. In particular, the advantage of the residents of large cities disappears when controlling for personal characteristics. Gender differences are consistent, especially in Mali, with a higher dependency of women on their actual situation, while men’s behaviour seems to rely more on their values. Last, contraceptive culture appears only weakly associated with birth spacing: more than adopting contraception, what counts are the characteristics of those women who adopt it. Contraception is not a Capability –a dimension of the freedom to plan the family – but one means among others for birth spacing.
