Sociocultural Research in Family Planning in the United States: Review and Prospects

Abstract

Some of the data on recent demographic trends in the United States on family planning among Americans in general and on the factors influencing contraceptive use among the poor are reviewed. An important aspect of recent family formation patterns is the high prevalence of marriages which occur after the conception of the 1st child. Much is heard today about changes in sexual mores. Figures from the Institute of Sex Research show an increase in the incidence of premarital intercourse among women born from 1910 to 1930 compared to earlier generations. The general assumption is that this trend has continued in the last 20 years. Regarding contraception there are 2 historical trends which initially appear inconsistent. Favorable opinions of birth control became more common from 1936 to 1965 but the frequency of actual use among married couples was probably no greater in the 1950s than in the 1930s. An important distinction needs to be made between the effects of an earlier start of contraceptive use and the effects of increasing faithfulness in its practice as desired family size is approached. It is the belief of many demographers that the low birthrates in the 1930s and early 1940s reflect a high-water mark in contraceptive practice due to the strong on the part of couples to control births in that period. From this premise they argue that improvements in contraceptive technology can have little effect on natality rates. Although the strength of a determination to prevent pregnancy cannot be dismissed as a factor affecting natality is not a simple entity and it does not explain all variations in the success of family planning. The idea that lack of motivation accounts for the excess of births among the poor has been contradicted by recent experience of birth control clinics offering oral contraceptives or IUDs to low income populations.