India has a unique, sterilization-skewed contraceptive method mix, low and stagnant female labor force participation and widespread gender inequalities. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between contraceptive use and women’s employment (none, professional, clerical or sales, agricultural, services or production) in India using data from India’s 2015–16 National Family Health Survey. More than three-quarters of women in this sample were current contraceptive users. While that use was dominated by female sterilization, there was great variability across methods and employment sectors. Generally, contraceptive use was positively associated with employment; in no assessed group was contraceptive use significantly associated with lower relative probabilities of employment. There was, however, substantial variation in the type of contraceptive used by employment sector. Women who were sterilized or chose traditional contraception, relative to those not using contraception, were more likely to be employed in the agricultural and production sectors, versus not being employed. In contrast, women with IUDs, compared to those who not using contraception, were more likely to be employed in the professional sector versus not being employed. The associations between current contraceptive use and employment were heterogeneous across methods and sectors, though in no case was contraceptive use significantly associated with lower relative probabilities of employment. Policies designed to support women’s access to contraception should consider the sector-specific employment of the populations they target.

Full text link: ttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248391