Recent trends in contraceptive sterilization in Flanders

Abstract

Elective sterilization started to spread rather late in Flanders. Despite the sharp increase of this contraceptive method since the end of the 1970s, its frequency is still lower than in many neighbouring countries and much lower than in the US and Canada, mainly due to the lag in male sterilization. Further increase in contraceptive sterilization and a greater participation of men is expected in the near future.

Power and the gendered division of contraceptive use in Western European couples

“…The question remains which consequences this closing (or in some countries even reversing) gender gap may have on couple mechanisms, because findings in different contexts have been inconclusive. The lack of an association between relative education and sterilization in our research is in contrast with studies carried out in the US (Bertotti, 2013;Bumpass et al, 2000;Forste et al, 1995), but confirms a previous Belgian study to vasectomy versus tubal ligation (Lodewijckx, 1989). Moreover,…”

The Gendered Division of Sterilization “Fertility Work:” The Role of Educational and Racial/Ethnic Heterogamy

“…Research suggests that these choices are linked, as each partner considers his or her own willingness to undergo sterilization when considering whether to opt for sterilization. For example, studies have shown that the partner undergoing sterilization tends to dominate the sterilization decision-making process (Lodewijckx, 1989; Terry & Braun, 2011) and to feel more favorable about the sterilization decision (Jamieson et al, 2002; Shain, Miller, & Holden, 1986). Thus, three potential outcomes are considered in the analysis: female sterilization, male sterilization, and use of a reversible method.…”