Factors Impacting Partner Involvement in Women’s Contraceptive Services

Megan L. Kavanaugh, Guttmacher Institute
Laura Lindberg, Guttmacher Institute

Involving women’s partners in family planning services may be an avenue to reduce rates of unplanned pregnancies. In 2009, a nationally representative sample of 2,113 women aged 18-49 receiving services from publicly funded family planning clinics were surveyed about their reproductive history and current partner's involvement in contraceptive services. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the association of demographic, reproductive, and partner characteristics with partner involvement in contraceptive services. Fifty six percent of the sample indicated their partners were at least partially involved in their contraceptive services. Married women, women reporting relationship satisfaction, and foreign-born Hispanic women had partners that were more involved than did their counterparts. Women reporting that their partners interfere with their birth control were nearly twice as likely as their counterparts to report partner involvement. Contraceptive use at last sex was not associated with partner involvement in contraceptive services.