Title: Responsibility and irresponsibility: young women and family planning.

POPLINE Document Number: 108723

Author(s):

Hawkes G

Source citation:

SOCIOLOGY, 1995 May;29(2):257-73.

Abstract:

Until the 1930s, the medical profession deemed the issue of birth control to be unworthy of its attention. Clerics, politicians, and social commentators avoided any direct association with the promotion of family planning, even if they privately supported its use, while practitioners of family planning were equally reserved. The history of medical opposition to the free provision of contraception regardless of marital status and age is well-documented. Seven doctors and seven nurses, all White females in their mid-twenties to mid-fifties, employed at six inner city family planning clinics in Northwest England were interviewed in an open, structured conversation framework. The interviews were conducted outside of clinic hours in either the clinic or respondents' homes. The research was undertaken to assess the extent to which the value-free appearance of professional practice masks underlying professional ambivalence about the desirability and efficacy of such practice, especially with regard to young single women. The author describes how these women handle the issue of age when providing contraception to young service users.

Keywords:

Adolescents, Female
Youth
Family Planning
Delivery of Health Care
Attitude
Physicians
Nurses and Nursing
Women
Adolescents
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Health
Psychological Factors
Behavior
Health Personnel