Birth control in Britain

Abstract

This paper examines the contraceptive methods adopted by the men and women married between 1930 and 1960 who participated in the Population Investigation Committee's nationally representative Marriage Survey. In contrast to American patterns, withdrawal (coitus interruptus) was almost as popular in Britain as the sheath (or condom), each of these methods being adopted at some time by nearly half the users. The “safe period” or rhythm method (16 per cent), the cap (11 per cent) and soluble pessaries (10 per cent) were much less important. An analysis of the total experience of individual users shows a small but significant cohort trend away from the method of withdrawal and towards the use of the cap.

It was unusual for even the sophisticated group of avowed users (who were more extensively questioned than the reticent) to obtain contraceptive advice from professional sources. Over 70 per cent of the avowed users, married for at least ten years, adopted only one method, during their married lives and the remainder, who often began by using coitus interruptus frequently switched to the more reliable appliance methods, notably the cap or chemicals. A social-class analysis of the users who started contraception at marriage illustrates how the general trend from withdrawal to cap was spreading through our society: among these early starters, “non-manual” couples, and especially those recently married, used the cap much more often than the “other manual” group, with the “skilled manual” in an intermediate position. An examination ofthe conformity of Roman Catholics to their Church's teaching on contraception suggests that their degree of devotion to their faith was a crucial factor in determining their behaviour.

Although there were distinct trends over time and the pattern of methods used differed significantly with class and religion, these were on the whole minor variations. The popularity of the sheath and, to a lesser extent, withdrawal persists, dominating contraceptive behaviour in mid-century Britain.