Family planning providers can learn new information and skills. For many, this is their first paying job. Unlike physical labor such as sewing, farming, or typing, family planning field work teaches women skills that meet the social needs of the community and that enable women to teach others. Community-based family planning providers often help people obtain medical care at clinics. Professional status and respect.
Female family planning workers often win respect for their knowledge.
These women become community authorities in family planning and other health matters. In Matlab, Bangladesh, both field workers and community members report that field workers are important community resources not only for family planning services but also for general medical advice and referral. Respect is not always easily earned, however. New roles for women sometimes threaten community norms, and those who break the rules may be scorned. For example, in Muslim countries where purdah is practiced, custom prohibits women from moving about alone in public, and yet family planning field workers must visit homes and clinics.