Single Women Contracepting Inconsistently: Do They Ambivalently Want a Pregnancy or Lack Self-Regulation?

Paula S. England, New York University (NYU)
Monica Caudillo, New York University (NYU)
Krystale Littlejohn, Stanford University
Brooke Conroy, Stanford University
Joanna Reed, University of California, Berkeley

Using data from qualitative interviews with 103 unmarried women 20-29 about their contraceptive histories, we identify factors predictive of inconsistent contraception. Do women fail to contracept because they are a) not sufficiently motivated to avoid pregnancy, or b) lacking sufficient self-regulation to follow through with contraception? We use logistic regression with 583 respondent-partner dyads to assess net effects of seeing a future marriage with the partner, wanting a baby in the future with him, having sex while intoxicated, etc. Women who foresaw having a baby with this partner in the future are less likely to contracept, even if they didn't want one during the relationship; this is indirect evidence that motivation to contracept sometimes wanes if a child with this partner is wanted in the future. Low self-regulation is difficult to code quantitatively, but our narrative, qualitative analysis reveals numerous cases in which it is a factor.