The first pill-taking generation: Past and present use of contraception amongst a cohort of women born in the early 1950s

Citation

Hunt K (1990) The first pill-taking generation: Past and present use of contraception amongst a cohort of women born in the early 1950s. British Journal of Family Planning, 16 (1), pp. 3-15.

Abstract
This paper examines past and present use of contraception amongst one of the first generations to have had access to free and effective contraception for the majority of their reproductive lives. At the time of interview (when they were aged 35), 80 per cent were using some form of contraception, the majority (53 per cent) of whom were relying on either male or female sterilisation. The relatively low level (12 per cent) of current use of oral contraceptives belies the significance of the pill for this group of women. More than 90 per cent had used the pill at some time, and 80 per cent said that it was the method that they had used first. Mean age at first use was lower, and the mean duration of past use more than four times greater, than for any other method. Different 'types' of pill users are compared across a range of social, health and reproductive variables. Whilst never-users differed little from ever-users of the pill, those women who had used the pill early in their reproductive lives (that is, before their first pregnancy) different significantly from other users on many variables.

Journal
British Journal of Family Planning: Volume 16, Issue 1

People

Professor Kate Hunt

Professor, Institute for Social Marketing