Contraceptive patterns of religious and racial groups in the United States, 1955-76: convergence and distinctiveness
Mosher, W.D.; Goldscheider, C.
Studies in Family Planning 15(3): 101-111
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 6740727 DOI: 10.2307/1965460Document Number: 267353
The purpose of this paper is to use a very large national sample of married women to show that religious affiliation and race are important factors affecting the contraceptive practice of married couples in the US. The 1973 and 1976 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) studies were combined. They are 2 nationally representative samples containing 14,048 married women. The studies were based on personal interviews with multistage area probability samples of women aged 15-44 in the household population of the coterminus US. Comparisons are made between the contraceptive practice of religious groups in the US during the baby boom of the 1950s, and those of the mid-1970's when fertility was much lower. In 1955, there was a substantial difference between Protestant and Catholic wives in the total births expected--0.56 children/woman. Jewish women expected 0.47 fewer children than Protestant women, and 1.03 fewer children than Catholic women. A dramatic overall increase in surgical sterilization, from 9 to 23%, took place with a sharper increase among male operations. There was a dramatic decline among nonusers of contraception. The proportion using contraception changed little among Protestants and jews, but increased from 42 to 57% among Catholics. In the 50s, Protestant and Jewish couples were more likely to use the condom or the diaphragm, while Catholics used the rhythm method. By the 70s, the pill was the most popular method in all 3 groups. The proportion using contraception is highest among Jewish women (76%); all the white groups have a higher proportion using contraception than any of the black groups. White wives with no religious affiliation are very similar to Jewish wives (75%). The proportion contraceptively sterile is highest among white Protestant couples (21%) compared with 14.4% or less for all other groups of both races.