It’s Complicated: Planning for Pregnancy in Indonesia

Amy Finnegan, Duke University

Indonesia has made impressive gains on many demographic indicators, but maternal mortality remains stubbornly high and in fact rose from some 228 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2007 to an estimated 359 per 100,000 live births in 2012 (DHS 2013). We use data from the three most recent waves of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to examine knowledge of pregnancy complications and preparedness for delivery - key components in a strategy to guard against maternal death - and find that over time knowledge remains low among women who are at risk of becoming pregnant and among their husbands. Preparedness has been improving over time in both groups despite static knowledge levels.