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J Relig Health (2014) 53:825833 DOI 10.1007/s10943-013-9678-1
ORIGINAL PAPER
Nicholas J. Hill Mxolisi Siwatu Alexander K. Robinson
Published online: 29 January 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract This research investigates the inuence of religious preference and practice on the use of contraception. Much of earlier research examines the level of religiosity on sexual activity. This research extends this reasoning by suggesting that peer group effects create a willingness to mask the level of sexuality through the use of contraception. While it is understood that certain religions, that is, Catholicism does not condone the use of contraceptives, this research nds that Catholics are more likely to use certain methods of contraception than other religious groups. With data on contraceptive use from the Center for Disease Controls Family Growth Survey, a likelihood probability model is employed to investigate the impact religious afliation on contraception use. Findings suggest a preference for methods that ensure non-pregnancy while preventing feelings of shame and condemnation in their religious communities.
Keywords Contraception Family planning Religiosity Religion Race Poverty
Choice
Introduction
Many of the studies pertaining to individual sexual behavior and religion have been examined through the lenses of sociology. Research has found an inverse relationship between sexual permissive attitudes and the degree of individual religiosity (Thornier and Camburn 1987, 1989; Whitbeck et al. 1999; Meier 2003). It has also been suggested that
N. J. Hill (&)
Department of Economics, Finance, and General Business, Jackson State University, P.O. Box 24422, Jackson, MS 39225, USAe-mail: [email protected]
M. Siwatu
Department of Sociology, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, USA
A. K. Robinson
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
My Religion Picked My Birth Control: The Inuence of Religion on Contraceptive Use
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religion delays the rst sexual experience (Resnick et al. 1997; Lammers et al. 2000; Wilcox et al. 2001; Billy et al. 1994; Thornton and Camburn 1989).
In economics, much of the literature is concerned with the following deviations of thought;(1) individual behavior as a result of a religious belief and (2) economic outcome as a result of religious beliefs. The economic literature onreligionbeginsby examining the effects ofreligion on economic behavior. It builds upon the household production function model developed by Becker (1965) that examines the...