Women Use Contraception for Economic Reasons, Guttmacher Study Concludes

September 26, 2012 — Most U.S. women use contraception because they would not be able to afford to take care of a child, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, UPI reports.

Few studies in the U.S. ask women why they use contraception or about the benefits they receive from it, according to the study authors. The researchers surveyed 2,094 women who received care at 22 family planning clinics across the country.

The study found that 65% of women said they could not afford to provide for a child. Among women who already had children, nearly all said that caring for their existing children was an important reason to use contraception.

Sixty-three percent of the women said contraception made them better able to take care of themselves and their families, while 51% said it allowed them to complete their education. Fifty-six percent of women said contraception helped them to support themselves financially, and 50% said it allowed them to obtain or keep a job.

Laura Lindberg, co-author of the study, said, "Women value the ability to plan their childbearing, and view doing so as critical to being able to achieve their life goals." She added, "They need continued access to a wide range of contraceptives so they can plan their families and determine when they are ready to have children" (UPI, 9/25).