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Husbands' sex-role preferences and contraceptive intentions: The case of the male pill

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Abstract

Little attention has been given to examining the relationship between males' sex roles and their attitudes and behaviors regarding contraceptive issues. The present study addresses this shortcoming by examining the relationships among husbands' sex-role preferences, perceptions of contraceptive responsibility, and hypothetical intentions regarding the possible adoption of a male birth control pill. Data are drawn from a mailed survey of 49 husbands during 1982 in Columbus, Ohio. Egalitarian sex-role preferences are moderately related to a greater stated likelihood of male pill usage for the sample as a whole and more strongly related for husbands not overly concerned with the chemical nature of a male pill. Modern sex-role preferences are also related to husbands' perception of contraception as a shared responsibility, although this perception is not related to the stated likelihood of male pill usage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, 383 Bricker Hall, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    William Marsiglio

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  1. William Marsiglio
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Additional information

A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the North Central Sociological Association meeting in Columbus, Ohio, April 1983. I would like to thank Elizabeth G. Menaghan and Clyde W. Franklin, II, for their helpful critiques of early drafts of this paper. I am also indebted to an anonymous reviewer for his/her critical comments.

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Marsiglio, W. Husbands' sex-role preferences and contraceptive intentions: The case of the male pill. Sex Roles 12, 655–663 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288184

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