Sexism Surrounding Birth Control

Introduction to Female Contraceptives

Birth control or contraceptive, is a method or device that serves to prevent pregnancy. With growing sexual liberation and many discussions surrounding pro-life and pro-choice issues, there needs to be more attention brought towards the understanding and education of birth control and most importantly the troubles of sexism surrounding it. A lot of sexual education sessions tend to lack details into the options of birth control for both males and females. Many of us would be familiar with the most common forms of birth control such as the male condom and the pill for women. There are also other forms of contraception such as the female condom, the hormonal ring, the IUD, getting an injection, surgical sterilization, the implant, the patch, sponges, a diaphragm and a few more to list. Statistics show that going on the pill is the highest form of birth control for women, with an estimated 100 million women worldwide using it . Birth control pills contain hormones, and they come in a pack for women to take 1 pill every day at a fixed time in order to insure higher effectiveness . It works by stopping sperm from joining with an egg, the pill also stops ovulation, and thickens the mucus of the cervix that blocks sperm. For women , going on the pill is done as naturally as buying tampons or like a rite of passage to female adulthood. People tend to not question any of this and the burden of birth control continues to fall upon women and very little is spoken about the issue .

Side Effects

There are many side effects and problems that arise with the process of female birth control that is often brushed aside. With the pill being one of the most common forms of birth control, you would expect it to be the most trouble free and effective, but it actually has a lot of side effects that plague users on the daily. Every woman is different and in the path to find the best pill for them they need to go through the stress of testing out multiple types and struggle through the side effects. Side effects usually include nausea, breast tenderness, headaches, weight gain, mood swings, decreased libido, changes to eyesight and depression . A 2016 study brought to light the surprising link between hormonal birth control and depression, and when the news broke many women voiced the psychological effects of depression, anxiety and panic attacks that they never realized or connected to the pill. More serious long term effects are recently being studied to discover higher risks of strokes or cancer (Petterson and Sutton, 2017) . Doctors rarely discuss these more serious side effects when prescribing them the contraceptive pill, and women continue to take the pill not realizing the impact of these hormonal imbalances on their health. The IUD is also a popular form of birth control that is currently on the rise. It stands for Intrauterine Device, it is a small T-shaped contraceptive that is inserted into the uterus . Just like all other forms of contraceptives, it comes along with side effects and complications. Of the 2.5 million women in the 1970s who had it inserted, 200,000 had injuries from infection, and 18 died from it . There is also always a small chance of the IUD to shift and embed itself in the uterine wall, involving pain and surgical removal of it.

Media/Language Surrounding Birth Control

The media and the language surrounding women’s contraceptives such as, the pill, the coil, the implant sound so simple to incorporate into their bodies . There is this illusion formed that makes these reproductive technologies seem like a natural part of being a woman. Meanwhile women are expected to deal with the side effects and serious long term effects and complications are swept under the rug. When the topic of men taking reproductive alterations come up, the tone changes significantly. Compared to the tone and language of female contraceptives, contraceptives for men are taken a lot more seriously as seen in mainstream publications and and use negative terms against it despite claiming to support newer and better forms of male contraceptives . The male body and the scrotum to be specific, is seen as untouchable whereas the female uterus is seen as unrestricted.

Sexism in Birth Control Research

This sexism can also be observed within reproductive research as well. Scientists have worked towards developing other forms of birth control for men . An example would be an injectable hormone contraceptive that lowered sperm counts with a 96% effectiveness . But trials for this was discontinued due to side effects such as mood swings, depression and pain of the injection site . These points are baffling to hear because they are the same side effects that women have to deal with on the daily from their birth control and actually even less than what women get.

References

Petterson, A., Sutton, R.M. (2017). Sexist Ideology and Endorsement of Men’s Control Over Women’s Decisions in Reproductive Health. Retrieved from [/doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1177/0361684317744531 https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1177/0361684317744531]

https://howwegettonext.com/the-future-of-birth-control-means-facing-up-to-its-sexist-past-848c139a57c3

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/kzeazz/the-racist-and-sexist-history-of-keeping-birth-control-side-effects-secret

http://theconversation.com/sexist-barriers-block-womens-choice-to-be-sterilized-99754

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290196.ph