Why Female Condom Failed in India?

The female condom introduced in India two decades ago but in spite of Indian government support and social marketing it failed to generate awareness and demand among CSWs ( commercial sex workers) and general population. It is assumed that , Female Condom will give Indian women the freedom to take control over their bodies, their reproductive health, it was seen by many gender rights experts as a tool to empower women. The present study was conducted with CSWs, college going adolescent girls and chemists. Qualitative and quantitative methods were use to understand the awareness, knowledge about female condom, the factors determining use and non use of female condom and to explore the strategies to sustain use of female condom. The study reveals that low awareness, misconception about functionality of female condom, conservative views about sex, high cost, ignorance, lack of availability, discomfort, lack of publicity are key issues preventing chemist from stocking it and people buying and using it.