“There are a multitude of reasons, and we don’t fully understand what’s going on,” Dehlendorf said. “But ultimately I think it’s about structural determinants— economic reasons, issues related to racism, differences in opportunities, differences in social and historical context.”
She emphasized that money is often a decisive factor. The median wealth of white households is 18 times that of Hispanic households and 20 times that of black households, according to the
Pew Research Center, but across the board, low-income women have a higher rate of unintended pregnancy and abortion regardless of race. They are less likely to have health insurance or consistent access to healthcare, and therefore birth control, according to a study by the
Kaiser Family Foundation. The Guttmacher report credited the increase in popularity of contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) with contributing to the decline of the abortion rate. IUDs are among the longest-lasting and most effective methods of birth control—but they’re also among the most expensive, and therefore not an option for many low-income women.
Yet black women still have higher rates of abortion even when controlling for income, according to a 2008 report by the
Guttmacher Institute. At almost every income level, African-Americans have higher unintended pregnancy and abortion rates than whites or Hispanics.
Bracey Sherman’s own experience echoes this finding: She grew up in a middle-class household, with college-educated parents, but still, she and many of her cousins and friends became pregnant during their teenage years.
This is because controlling for income still fails to take into account other disadvantages that minority women experience, according to Dehlendorf, though there is little data on how these factors relate to unintended pregnancy.
“It is important to remember that income is not equal to socioeconomic status—history, culture, education, wealth, family education and so on all contribute to this,” Dehlendorf said. “So you can’t say that by controlling for income you are taking away the effect of socioeconomic status.”
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