Ch_11

Lecture Notes

Women may have more interest than men in controlling their fertility. It is the woman who bears the children and more than often, it is the woman who has the responsibility of raising them. Biologically, it is also easier to stop one egg from being fertilized once a month than stopping millions of sperm during each act of intercourse. The family planning responsibilities are traditionally seen as the woman's job. <br /><br />Studies show that those who discuss preventing pregnancy are most likely to use contraceptives. Education is positively correlated with family planning discussion among couples. Women and men, now more than ever, perceive gender equality in sexual decision making and equal responsibility for decisions about contraception. <br />Male methods account for approximately one-fourth of all reversible contraceptive use . Other ways that men can take contraceptive responsibility includes exploring ways of being sexual without intercourse and helping to pay doctor or clinic bills and sharing the cost of pills, injections, or birth control supplies. They can also check on supplies, help to keep track of his partner's menstrual cycle, and if having children, or more children, is not a desire of the couple in a long-term relationship, having a vasectomy is an option.<br />