India39;s condom market growing but faces many challenges
Durex targeting women consumers in India with new lubes, ads
Company says smaller condom packs could do better in rural areas
Condom use rising in largely conservative India

LONDONMUMBAI, Sept 12 Reuters For years, the world39;s biggest condom maker Reckitt Benckiser designed products and marketing to lure Indian men to its Durex brand. Now, it is pushing a growth strategy by betting on women and rural consumers.

India last year surpassed China to become the world39;s most populous nation, but still fares poorly on the use of contraceptives. India39;s government estimates only around 10 of men use condoms and for women, sterilization remains the popular form of contraception.

Social stigma surrounding sex which some say stems from Victorian social norms established during British colonization has for decades marginalized female pleasure in the Indian society.

But attitudes are changing and Reckitt is shifting marketing gears to take advantage of an upswing in condom use among Indian women now a key target audience for Durex.

Around 9.5 of married Indian women cited using condoms during sex by 2021, almost double the use five years earlier, according to latest available government statistics. Among unmarried women, such use more than doubled to 27.

Reckitt is reformulating products such as lubricants aimed at attracting women consumers, and has new marketing campaigns, Pankaj Duhan, Reckitt39;s senior…