Contraceptive Risk-taking among Never-married Youth

Abstract

SynopsisData gathered from a broader survey in Melbourne are used to study whether contraceptive risk-taking among never-married men and women aged 18-25 is related to knowledge of where to obtain an abortion, approval of abortion and attitude to premarital parenthood. Risk-taking is found to be less common among women than men. The proportion of risk-takers is significantly higher among those who know where to obtain an abortion. Among women but not men, the proportion of risk-takers is higher for those who approved of abortion. However, among men but not women, a significant difference in risk-taking experience is observed between those who agreed that marriage before parenthood is important and those who disagreed. These three independent variables have a significant three-way interaction effect on risk-taking, indicating that perception of social permissiveness and individual characteristics interact to influence risk-taking behaviour. The finding that approval and knowledge of abortion services may p...