Preliminary Analysis of Male Perceptions of Reproductive Coercion
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Public Health
Minor
none
Institution
University of Kentucky
KY House District #
77
KY Senate District #
13
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Corrine Williams, Ph.D
Abstract
Reproductive coercion (RC) can be defined as actions relating to reproductive health taken by a partner in order to maintain power and control in a relationship. While multiple studies have looked at reproductive coercion’s role in unintended pregnancies and the correlation with interpersonal violence, this research has only examined the experiences of women. Further, the definition of RC has not addressed the experiences of reproductive coercion among men, though the anecdotal phenomenon of women getting pregnant to trap men is often discussed. This presentation will address the gap between collected RC data for men and women.
In a cross-sectional survey of college students from two large, public universities in 2015 (n=4,063), both men and women responded to questions such as: 1) What happened when your partner wouldn’t let you use birth control, condoms or other protection when you wanted to or made other statements about wanting to have a baby with you? 2) As a result of the things your partner did/said about birth control and/or condoms, did you have sex that made you afraid of getting pregnant when you didn’t want to? 3) Did you stop using birth control or condoms because of what your partner wanted? 4) Were you afraid of what your partner might do if you didn’t do what he or she wanted?
During past surveys, men were either excluded or not looked at individually. We expect to show men’s experiences with reproductive coercion to be mostly in relation to condom use and birth control sabotage.
Evaluating male perception in regards to RC is critical for improving pregnancy prevention programs as well as programs aiming at factors associated with unintended pregnancy. As well, decreasing reporting inequalities between male and female RC experiences will open doors to a broader discussion about healthy relationships and family planning.
Preliminary Analysis of Male Perceptions of Reproductive Coercion
Reproductive coercion (RC) can be defined as actions relating to reproductive health taken by a partner in order to maintain power and control in a relationship. While multiple studies have looked at reproductive coercion’s role in unintended pregnancies and the correlation with interpersonal violence, this research has only examined the experiences of women. Further, the definition of RC has not addressed the experiences of reproductive coercion among men, though the anecdotal phenomenon of women getting pregnant to trap men is often discussed. This presentation will address the gap between collected RC data for men and women.
In a cross-sectional survey of college students from two large, public universities in 2015 (n=4,063), both men and women responded to questions such as: 1) What happened when your partner wouldn’t let you use birth control, condoms or other protection when you wanted to or made other statements about wanting to have a baby with you? 2) As a result of the things your partner did/said about birth control and/or condoms, did you have sex that made you afraid of getting pregnant when you didn’t want to? 3) Did you stop using birth control or condoms because of what your partner wanted? 4) Were you afraid of what your partner might do if you didn’t do what he or she wanted?
During past surveys, men were either excluded or not looked at individually. We expect to show men’s experiences with reproductive coercion to be mostly in relation to condom use and birth control sabotage.
Evaluating male perception in regards to RC is critical for improving pregnancy prevention programs as well as programs aiming at factors associated with unintended pregnancy. As well, decreasing reporting inequalities between male and female RC experiences will open doors to a broader discussion about healthy relationships and family planning.