EHC has been underused in Britain and internationally since its introduction. ‘Stigmatisation’ has been identified as one of the barriers to EHC. However, few, if any, publications have focussed on the significance of this factor in the British context, the social meanings for women seeking EHC, and the implications for future contraceptive provision and innovation.
In-depth qualitative material from 27 women across two British studies was analyzed. The first, in which 11 young women were interviewed in-depth regarding EHC specifically, was supplemented by material from a multi-stage narrative survey of 15 women concerning their life history experiences of using contraception more broadly.
Stigmatization of EHC use is a crucial barrier and derives from associations with irresponsible behavior. This irresponsibility exists on a continuum with some actions and some women more ir/responsible than others.
Stigma is a powerful barrier to EHC use due to the social significance of responsibility and expectations about the behavior of ‘good women.’ Understandings about stigmatization in EHC should be translated to other aspects of contraceptive service delivery and future innovations to ensure adequate provision of methods and safeguard their uptake.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1806998
