Fertility Control in the United States Before the Contraceptive Revolution

Women born in the 1st decade of the 10th century achieved the lowest average family size of any cohort of US women that has completed childbearing. A survey of white, ever married women whose childbearing years peaked during the 1920s and 30s whows that more than 70% practiced contraception, and that over 80% of contraceptors used the most modern methods then available. Although few admitted to use of sterilization for contraceptive purposes, nearly 30% were surgically sterilized before age 50, and the pattern suggests considerable use for contraceptive reasons. Those born in the latter 1/2 of the decade, who reached their peak reproductive years during the Depression, were more likely to have practiced contraception and to have used a modern method than those born earlier. Women who had 2 or more live births, those who were college educated, urban, white collar and non-Catholic were also more likely than others to have used contraception. There was considerable use of contraception to space children as well as to terminate childbearing. Only 3% reported having had an induced abortion, but the data suggest that many reported induced abortions (then mostly illegal) as miscarriages and stillbirths.