Gender, Power, and Nonpreferred Contraceptive Use in the United States

Results from a National Survey

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13103544
AutoresKristen Lagasse Burke (0000-0002-1833-3722, The University of Texas at Austin), Leon Lindberg (0000-0003-2660-9407, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey)
Año2024
Volumen10
Fecha de publicación2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2378-0231 • E-ISSN: 2378-0231
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/23780231241282641
OpenAlexW4403938725
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas6
Referencias citadas68

Power dynamics in social interactions likely affect individuals’ ability to use their preferred contraception, yet research has primarily emphasized financial barriers. Using data from a national survey of people assigned female at birth, we apply a social-ecological framework to assess a broader range of factors shaping nonpreferred use. Over one-quarter of respondents were not using their preferred method; among them, nearly half preferred vasectomy, condoms, or withdrawal. Partner disagreement was the most common reason for nonpreferred use and was associated with experiencing partner contraceptive coercion. Black women, who face structural racism in the health care system, were more likely to attribute their nonpreferred use to a provider’s recommendation. These findings demonstrate how gender and power shape contraceptive use despite the preferences of those at risk of pregnancy, highlighting the need for cultural, policy, and health care shifts to resolve contraceptive preference-use discordance and increase gender equity in the responsibility of pregnancy prevention

Current Population Survey · Demographic economics · Economics · Environmental health · Family planning · National Survey of Family Growth · Physics · Population · Power (physics · Research methodology · Survey research · Applied Psychology · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Reproductive Health and Technologies