Pleasure, Power, and Inequality: Incorporating Sexuality Into Research on Contraceptive Use

TLDR

Little is known about how contraception influences sexual enjoyment and functioning, especially for women. The study investigates how sexual desires and experiences shape contraceptive choices. Qualitative interviews were analyzed to identify three key insights. The findings show that sexual pleasure is multifaceted, affects contraceptive use, and is intertwined with gender and class, indicating that behavioral models must be reframed.

Abstract

We know surprisingly little about how contraception affects sexual enjoyment and functioning (and vice versa), particularly for women. What do people seek from sex, and how do sexual experiences shape contraceptive use? We draw on qualitative data to make 3 points. First, pleasure varies. Both women and men reported multiple aspects of enjoyment, of which physical pleasure was only one. Second, pleasure matters. Clear links exist between the forms of pleasure respondents seek and their contraceptive practices. Third, pleasure intersects with power and social inequality. Both gender and social class shape sexual preferences and contraceptive use patterns. These findings call for a reframing of behavioral models that explain why people use (or do not use) contraception.