Black-White Differences in Attitudes Related to Pregnancy Among Young Women

Abstract

In this paper we use newly available data from the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) study to compare a wide range of attitudes related to pregnancy for 961 Black and white young women. We also investigate the extent to which race differences are mediated by, or net of, family background, childhood socioeconomic status, adolescent experiences related to pregnancy, and current socioeconomic status. Black women are less positive, in general, than white women, toward young non-marital sex, contraception, and childbearing, and have less desire for sex in the upcoming year. This is largely because Black women are more religious than white women, and in part because they are more socioeconomically disadvantaged in young adulthood. However, in spite of these less positive attitudes, Black women are more likely to expect sex without contraception in the next year, and to expect more positive consequences if they were to become pregnant, relative to white women. This is largely because, relative to white women, Black women have higher rates of sex without contraception in adolescence, and in part because they are more likely to have grown up with a single parent. It is unclear whether attitudes toward contraception and pregnancy preceded or are a consequence of adolescent sex without contraception. Some race differences remain unexplained – net of all potential mediators in our models, Black women have less desire for sex in the upcoming year, but are less willing to refuse to have sex with a partner if they think it would make him angry, and expect more positive personal consequences of a pregnancy, relative to white women. In spite of these differences, Black women's desires to achieve and to prevent pregnancy are very similar to white women's desires.

Black-White Differences in Sex and Contraceptive Use Among Young Women

“…Other research has demonstrated that black women are more negative than white women about contraception, especially oral contraceptive pills (Barber et al 2015; Gilliam et al 2009). They perceive more side effects of hormonal contraception (Guzzo and Hayford 2012; Kaye et al 2009).…”

“…We speculate that these negative attitudes may reflect mistrust of healthcare providers partly because of the historical association between the family planning movement and eugenics, unethical medical testing on vulnerable populations, and forced sterilization, although these mechanisms are difficult to test. In addition, because black women are more negative than white women about sex, and have lower expectation for sex in the near future (Barber et al 2015), they may eschew methods that require a great deal of advance planning, such as oral contraceptives, in favor of methods that can be provided by men or procured at the last minute (e.g., condoms). Black women also face a high risk of STIs (CDC 2014), and condoms are highly effective for STI prevention.…”

“…This notion is supported by an empirical study of young black women who themselves said that gender imbalance was a reason they tolerated refusal to use condoms and nonmonogamous sexual behavior in their male partners (Ferguson et al 2006). Also, some evidence has suggested that even though black women have sex earlier than their peers, they have more negative attitudes about sex (Barber et al 2015; Martinez et al 2011), which may indicate they feel pressured by their circumstances into early and/or unprotected sex.…”

A Mixed Methods Study of Contraceptive Effectiveness in a Relationship Context Among Young Adult, Primarily Low-Income African American Women

“…A related but distinct concept is attitude toward motherhood. African American women describe motherhood as meaningful and a source of respect [20] and are more likely to perceive pregnancy as having positive consequences [21]; however, attitude toward motherhood has not been examined in relation to contraceptive use. These outlooks could impact decisions around contraceptive use, as could attitudes toward and past experience with contraceptives [22].…”

“…Women’s perceptions of relationship trust [21, 26], relationship commitment [27], and the male partner’s desire for a pregnancy [23] may play a role in contraceptive use. These relationship qualities have been independently examined in studies of contraceptive use, but there is a gap in knowledge related to their potential combined influence.…”