5.6.1 Independent decision making on reproductive health, by education level


Metadata
Period: Every four years
Year: 2025


METADATA
Indicator information
Definition and methodology
Data source type and data collection method
Notes
ID of global indicator
Metadata update
Global metadata

Indicator informationTop
Indicator

5.6.1 Independent decision making on reproductive health, by education level

Global indicator name

5.6.1 Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

Target

5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

Goal

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls


Definition and methodologyTop
Definition

Percentage of women age 15-49 years currently married or in union, who are not pregnant and think they are physically able to get pregnant, who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care.

 

SDG target speaks to universal reproductive rights and the indicator is premised on three core elements of women’s reproductive rights: (1) Decision on sexual relations, (2) Decision on use of contraception, and (3) Decision on use of health care. A woman is considered to have autonomy in reproductive health decision making and to be empowered to exercise her reproductive rights if she: can say “NO’ to sex with their husband/partner if she does not want to, decides on use/ non-use of contraception and decides on health care for herself or jointly with her husband/partner. Only women who provide a “yes” answer to all three components are considered as women who “make their own decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care”.

Methodological explanations

Data is collected in line with the Multiple indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) methodology. Data for SDG indicator 5.6.1 must include the population important to SDG 5.6.1, specifically, women of reproductive age (15-49) currently married or in a union.

Method of calculation

Proportion = (Numerator/Denominator) * 100

 

Numerator: Number of married or in union women and girls aged 15-49 years old: – for whom the decision on health care for themselves is not usually made by the husband/partner or someone else; and – for whom the decision on contraception is not mainly made by the husband/partner; and – who can say no to sex. Only women who satisfy all three empowerment criteria are included in the numerator.

 

Denominator: Total number of women and girls aged 15-49 years old, married or in union.

Unit of measure

%

Available disaggregation

Education Level

Territorial level

Regions


Data source type and data collection methodTop
Data source

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)

Periodicity of data collection

Every four years


NotesTop

ID of global indicatorTop

C050601


Metadata updateTop
2/6/2025

Global metadataTop

https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-05-06-01.pdf