Low-Income Women’s Navigation of Childbearing Norms Throughout the Reproductive Life Course

Abstract

Shifts in family structure have affected age norms about both teenage childbearing and reproductive sterilization, but we lack research examining how childbearing norms are connected across the reproductive life course. Drawing on interviews from 40 low-income women in Colorado, we explored linkages between early childbearing and the desire for early sterilization. Specifically, we examined two narratives women use to negotiate competing norms throughout the reproductive life course. The low-income women in our study characterized their teenage childbearing experiences negatively and justified them using a "young and dumb" narrative. Women also asserted that reversible contraceptives do not work for them, using a "hyper-fertility" narrative to explain both their early childbearing and their desire for early sterilization. Our results illustrate the influence of mainstream social norms about childbearing timing on low-income women's lives and provide evidence of how women use narratives to explain and justify their violation of childbearing norms.

Why Female College Students Risk Pregnancy: I Just Wasn't Thinking

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Social Norms and Stigma Regarding Unintended Pregnancy and Pregnancy Decisions: A Qualitative Study of Young Women in Alabama

“…Stigma, defined as social disgrace or disapproval, functions as an informal control mechanism for individuals who do not adhere to socially defined norms . Research has examined social norms and stigmas primarily in relation to isolated reproductive health behaviors or decisions, such as contraceptive use, pregnancy, childbearing and abortion . This literature suggests that these norms and stigmas have implications for pregnancy prevention and decision making.…”

Women's Contraceptive Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes: An Integrative Review of Qualitative Research

“…Ten studies examined the interplay of power between women and their health care providers . Women often considered the opinions of their health care providers in relation to their own family planning, including the provider's preferences over the placement or removal of long‐acting contraception and how many children to have .…”

“…In 5 studies, women vocalized a desire for contraception they considered natural or disliked anything they considered unnatural, such as a method that stopped or altered normal menstruation . In 4 other studies, women vocalized distrust in contraception, especially in relation to contraception's adverse effect profile, efficacy, and short‐ and long‐term safety . The language around the daily use of hormonal and long‐acting contraception was largely negative.…”