1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff Mom Never Told you? 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: From House Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Kristen and I'm Caroline, and today we 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: are asking you a question on the minds of many 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: politicians and a question that's coming up a lot in 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: the mainstream media. On Facebook, it's everywhere, and it's whether 8 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: or not there is a connection between risky sexual behavior 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: and promiscuity and access to birth control and specifically the 10 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: birth control pill. And this relates to the issue over 11 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: the Patient Protection and Affordable Act that President Obama signed 12 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: into law on March, which expanded health insurance coverage and 13 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: included a provision that would ensure that that birth control 14 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: would be covered for for women in the US um 15 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: and that meant that some employers would have to provide 16 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: for birth control. This has ruffled some feathers, particularly among 17 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: the Catholic church there and then it got into the 18 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: air waves with Rush Limbaugh and some very unsavory comments 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: he made about how women who take birth control are 20 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: essentially and we are using this word because it is 21 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: used so liberally now in the news sluts, let's birth 22 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: control turned women into sluts? And the research just to 23 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: sum it up basically, no, no, just just to calm 24 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: your fears right out of the gate. But don't stop listening, because, 25 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: like the abortion podcast that we did a long time ago, 26 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: even though this issue has been very politicized and there 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: is a huge debate going on right now about UM 28 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: reproductive rights for women in the US, we want to 29 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: move aside from the politics as much as we can 30 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: and really look at the research that's gone into the 31 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: connection between premarital sex and promiscuity and access to birth control, 32 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: because honestly, I don't I don't really care who is 33 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: right and who is wrong. I just want some facts, 34 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: and I want to the pundits to stop yelling at 35 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 1: each other and maybe get down to some Oh I 36 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: don't know, Caroline, some economics, yes, indeed, yeah, I bet listeners, 37 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: I bet you weren't thinking about that curveball just through it. 38 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: And economics really shaped the early attitudes towards sex, as 39 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: far as the official attitudes held by the church and 40 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: the state. UM. Often, churches were responsible for funding orphanages, 41 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: providing support for unwed mothers UM who were part of 42 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: their their parish, and so they had an economic interest 43 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: in keeping those women from getting pregnant, because otherwise they 44 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: would have had to flip the bill, right, because a 45 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: lot of times, the out of wedlock pregnancy rates were 46 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: the highest among working women who at the time, and 47 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: we're talking about in the UM eight hundred, sev hundreds, 48 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: even going into the sixteen hundreds UM, would not have 49 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: been able to afford to work outside the home and 50 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: also raise their child. Now, because of that high price 51 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: of promiscuity, we're gonna start talking about prices and demand 52 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: and supply, So get ready, because of that high price 53 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: of premarital sex, a lot of people abstained until they 54 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: were married. In the past one hundred years, the rates 55 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: of premarital sex, especially if we looked just at the 56 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: United States, have gone up very quickly, UM. And just 57 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: to give you an idea of where we started, UM, 58 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: from eighteen to nineteen hundred, the out of wedlock birth 59 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: rates were extremely low, uh six percent in Australia, nine 60 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: percent in Germany, five percent in Spain. UM. And during 61 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: that time, the contraceptive methods were minimal at best, and 62 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: so you would assume that with such low out of 63 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: wedlock birthrates, it meant that, you know, many women were 64 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: not having sex outside of outside of marriage. And this 65 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: is coming from a great study from the University of 66 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania published in November of two thousand eleven called From 67 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: Shame to Game into one Years, a macro economic model 68 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,679 Speaker 1: of the rise of premarital sex and it's destigmatization. So 69 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: going back to the whole cost benefit analysis that we're 70 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: getting into, as far as the church goes, if the 71 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: shame or the stigma that is placed on a woman 72 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,599 Speaker 1: has basically a means of production, if it's benefiting someone, 73 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: then it's going to continue. And so the act of 74 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: shaming or um putting someone in the stocks, as as 75 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: happened for sexual activity, if that can keep them from 76 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: having sex and therefore having children out of wedlock, then 77 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: they're going to do what it takes. And so these 78 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: views kind of get ingrained as part of the church 79 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: and they end up persisting and so, like I was 80 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: just talking about, in sixteen o one, the Lancashire Quarter 81 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: Sessions condemned an unmarried father and mother to be publicly 82 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: whipped and sit in the stocks. Underneath the placard that 83 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: said these persons are punished for fornication, and in a 84 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: sixteen forty eight in new Haven, Connecticut, a court find 85 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,599 Speaker 1: a couple for having sex out of marriage, saying that 86 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: the pair should be brought forth to the place of correction, 87 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: that they may be shamed. Yeah, early America not very 88 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: friendly toward premarital sex. Also in new Haven, New England, 89 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: essentially was just like a simmering pot of premarital sex 90 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: slut shaming. Uh. Sixty of all criminal cases in new Haven, 91 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: Connecticut between seventeen ten and seventeen five d were for 92 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: premarital sex SI. That is so much percent. Yes, I 93 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: just I can't believe that they were that focused on it. 94 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: And when you read about premarital sex um at this time, 95 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: it's often vilified as being debauched. It's lascivious, it's loot, 96 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: it's vain and wanton, it's a selfish act because the 97 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 1: price is so high, because they see it as morally 98 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:33,359 Speaker 1: degrading two communities into societies and placing undue burden on 99 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: the church. And then gradually as the state starts to 100 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: take more control on the state as well, right, and 101 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 1: this the cost benefit analysis starts to change. This is 102 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: from the same study that Kristen mentioned. In the early 103 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: nineteenth century, French hospitals were instructed to receive abandoned children, 104 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: thereby reducing the cost of premarital sex i e. Having 105 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,239 Speaker 1: to raise a child out of wedlock. And so around 106 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,239 Speaker 1: this time, you know, the wealthy had to worry about 107 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: how illegitimate the would affect property transfer. So there are 108 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: a lot of wealthy people telling their children that they 109 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: better not have sex outside of marriage. Now, one of 110 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: the biggest impacts to lowering the price of premarital sex 111 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: is also technology, as contraceptive methods begin to develop. And 112 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: then we have this crucial moment in nineteen sixty when 113 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: the first birth control pill is approved by the f 114 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: d A. The price of premarital sex i e. Pregnancy 115 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: risk is drastically lowered. And while that's going on, this 116 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: public attitude towards premarital sex is some kind of lewd 117 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: and less sevious. Act also begins to change, and you 118 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: see the shift in public attitude that is that's been 119 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: slow to catch up, um, but from nineteen hundred to 120 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: the turn of the twenty one century, the percent of 121 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: women US women who engaged in premarital sex jumped from 122 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: six percent to sevent So this is going on, but 123 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: what our attitudes toward it, because this is very important 124 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: as well in terms of driving down that price of promiscuity. 125 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 1: So in nineteen sixty eight, only fifteen percent of women 126 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: had a permissive attitude about premarital sex, despite the fact 127 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: that about of nineteen year old females had done it, 128 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: and by it I do mean six But then by 129 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three the permissive attitudes had jumped to forty 130 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: five percent. But at the same time there's still the 131 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: gap because by then seventy percent of nineteen year old 132 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: females had had six and two thousand three Harvard study 133 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 1: offered some explanations for changing attitudes, and they have some 134 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:50,839 Speaker 1: highly technical language that I will break down for you. 135 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: They say that the replacement of more conservative birth cohorts 136 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: born in the early twentieth century with more liberal cohorts 137 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: born later was part of the change, and that just 138 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:07,719 Speaker 1: means that our conservative grandparents, our grandparents are dying and 139 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: that and so they're being replaced by people like us. 140 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: I know, it's sad um. Another another explanation they give 141 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: is that age related changes occur in the views of 142 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: each cohort and that cultural changes affect all of the 143 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: views of all of the cohorts simultaneously, right, And it's 144 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: it's really important that we think about this issue of culture. 145 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:31,839 Speaker 1: Because there was an article over at the Big Think 146 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: dot com by Marina odd Shad and she she's looking 147 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: at this issue of the price of promiscuity and premarital 148 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: sex falling as a result of birth control, but she 149 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: is curious about the fact that even though the risk 150 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: of pregnancy has gone down, the rate of out of 151 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 1: wedlock pregnancy has gone up from two percent in the 152 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties in the US to in two thousand even 153 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: according to the CDC, and I know that since two 154 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: thousand seven that number has only gone up. And she 155 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: says that that represents a major shift in how our 156 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: society accepts premarital sex as more of a normative behavior, 157 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: because it can't just be birth control that is um 158 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 1: instigating all of this premi premarital sex, because clearly we're 159 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: either not using it correctly or at all, because that 160 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: rate of out of wedlock birth is so um has 161 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: risen so much. And going along those same lines, there 162 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: is a study from the University of Pennsylvania and from 163 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 1: the University of Carlos the Third of Madrid like to 164 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: go there. Um called social change the sexual revolution revolution, 165 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: which states that economists have estimated that get this, people 166 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: listen in listen in less than one percent of the 167 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: increase in premarrital sex among teenagers is the result of 168 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: the invention of the pill. And teenage girls don't even 169 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: use the pill all that much. It's not that widespread 170 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: among them, Okay. So referencing the same study that Christian 171 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: was just mentioning, um, they go and going back to 172 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: the technology thing, they say that as technology has made 173 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: better birth control possible, there's less reason to a abstain 174 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: from sexual intercourse and be inculcate sexual mores. So as 175 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: the birth control methods get better, parents and the church 176 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: and the state have less reason to hammer it into 177 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: their kids heads that it's something they need to avoid, 178 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: so less parental inculcation of more's uh. It ends up 179 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,319 Speaker 1: resulting in maybe less of a feeling of shame if 180 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: young girls decide to participate. So having less of a 181 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: feeling of shame, you're more likely to feel free to 182 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:51,839 Speaker 1: do something. Also, if your peer group is doing it, 183 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,719 Speaker 1: if your peer group is engaging in sexual activity, or 184 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:56,560 Speaker 1: if you're seeing it on TV all the time, or 185 00:11:56,559 --> 00:11:58,200 Speaker 1: if just people are talking about it in a in 186 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: a behavior not just actual activity seems common and accepted, 187 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: you are more likely to participate. But on the flip 188 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 1: side of of that whole issue of pure influence in 189 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:16,439 Speaker 1: the lessening of shame, there's also going back to the 190 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: importance and force of um societal viewpoints as driving down 191 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: that that price or influencing the price of premarital sex 192 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: and promisecuity. The flip side of that is still happening 193 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: even though access to birth control is abundant for teens 194 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: these days. UM. This is coming from the Wall Street Journal, 195 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: which was reporting on two thousand eleven data released by 196 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: the CDC, and they found that in more than half 197 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: of teen females and six of teen males who had 198 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: never married reported having sexual intercourse. That number has dropped 199 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: as of two thousand eleven to forty two point six 200 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: percent for young women in forty one point eight percent 201 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: for young men, meaning that the teen sex rates have dropped. 202 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: And why do abstinent teens refrain from premarital sex. It's 203 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: not because they can't get their hands on some birth control. 204 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: They most frequently cite religious or moral objections to sex 205 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: as their reason for holding off, And there are other 206 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:23,559 Speaker 1: two top reasons desire to avoid pregnancy. There's that cost 207 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: again and also not having found the right person yet, 208 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: which might have to do with their peer group. And 209 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: just to reiterate the economic perspective of premarital sex, because 210 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,959 Speaker 1: I think it's so important to kind of move steer 211 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: the conversation away from purely moralistic terms. UH. The National 212 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: Bureau of Economic Research in the US published a study 213 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 1: in the year two thousand UH stating that American teens 214 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: will change their sexual behavior and birth controlled choices in 215 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: response to changes in the price of pregnancy measured by 216 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: labor market conditions, AIDS incidents, welfare benefits, and abortion restrictions. 217 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 1: So there's so much more that is going into our 218 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: decisions to have sex with someone outside of wedlock or 219 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: to have sex with tons of people outside of the 220 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: bounds of marriage, UM, aside from whether or not we 221 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: can get our hands on oral contraception for cheap right exactly, 222 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: and what happens when people can't get oral contraception for 223 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: cheap Emily Gray Collins and Brad Hirshbine of the Population 224 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: Studies Center at the University of Michigan Institute for Social 225 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: Research released a paper in mayn looking at what happened 226 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: when the price of birth control increased at college health centers, 227 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: And basically what happened is that when Congress passed the 228 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: Deficit Reduction Act in two thousand five and then it 229 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 1: went into effect in two thousand seven, they inadvertently increased 230 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: the effective price of birth control pills more than threefold, 231 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: from about five to ten dollars to about thirty to 232 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: fifty dollars per month, which is a lot if you 233 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: were in college or just in general, it is a 234 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: lot of money. They found that this price increase reduced 235 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: the use of the pill by two to four on 236 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: average among college women. College women did cut back on 237 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: sex somewhat, but the rate of accidental pregnancy didn't decline, 238 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: and they looked at how much more of an effect 239 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: it had on women who were in bad financial shape 240 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: as opposed to women who had insurance and could still 241 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: afford it. Um Among women in bad financial shape, the 242 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: rate of unintended pregnancy actually increased twenty three percent because 243 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: many switched to cheaper risk ear methods or unprotected sex. 244 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: Women with no insurance who had sex infrequently would it 245 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: instead opt for over the counter emergency contraception, But women 246 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: who with no insurance who had sex frequently opted for 247 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: condoms as well as increasingly relying on the rhythm method 248 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 1: and unprotected sex, which is why you see that that 249 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: um jump in the accidental rate of pregnancy. And as 250 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: far as those alternate methods, the rhythm method just having 251 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: plain unprotected sex, plain old unprotected sex, the failure rates 252 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: are pretty scary and this raises the whole cost benefit 253 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: analysis issue again. While the failure rate for imperfect use 254 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 1: of the pill is nine per one, so that's nine 255 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: pregnancies out of a hundred women over a year of use, 256 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: for withdrawal it's twice that, and the failure rate for 257 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: periodic abstinence is nearly three times. It's high. While four 258 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: completely unprotected sex. It's women so perhaps because of the 259 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: economic risk that a woman in man might be putting 260 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: themselves at by having risky unprotected sex. Previous studies have 261 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: also found that contraceptives, which includes condoms and birth control, 262 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: are relatively priced and elastic, meaning that the demand for 263 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: them stays pretty steady no matter what the price is, 264 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: because the benefit i e. The joy of sex is 265 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:12,400 Speaker 1: constant and it's something that especially in today's culture, outweighs 266 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 1: maybe the the upfront cost of protecting your stale and 267 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 1: I feel like a lot of the um the focus 268 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: on birth control in the media at the moment is 269 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: on young single women in college who are being portrayed 270 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: as these you know, the look of a good time exactly. 271 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: I couldn't put it better. But the use of contraception 272 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:41,120 Speaker 1: doesn't stop when someone gets married. People still, people still 273 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: want to have control over the size of their families, right, um, 274 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 1: which is why we felt like it was also important 275 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 1: in this conversation to offer up some statistics on uh 276 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 1: the rate of contraceptive methods by married women of childbearing age. 277 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: And we should also point out we haven't gone into 278 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: this yet as well. Um. But also birth control can 279 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: be necessary for women who are not necessarily not looking 280 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: to get pregnant, but might have certain health conditions such 281 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: as polycystic ovarian syndrome that require birth control and regulating 282 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: those hormones to prevent the growth of ovarian system. Which, yeah, 283 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,199 Speaker 1: which was part of standard Flukes argument in front of 284 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: that hearing UM. So, going back to those married women 285 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: in contraceptive stats, we have some information from the CDC, 286 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: and this is looking at UH their use of contraception 287 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,400 Speaker 1: from two thousand six to two thousand eight, and it's 288 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: in comparison to a number of European countries that have 289 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: a very low fertility rate. UM in the US about fiftent, 290 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: not an insignificant number of married women are on the pill. 291 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:56,880 Speaker 1: Five five percent use an i U D and use 292 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: female sterilization. And as far as oral interception, women in France, 293 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 1: the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are more likely to 294 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 1: rely on oral contraception than women in the United States. 295 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 1: And that's the comparison of about in those previously mentioned 296 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: countries to the United States, which is six women in 297 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: France use the i U D to a greater extent 298 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: than women in the US do, whereas the male condom 299 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 1: is used by partners of approximately twenty percent of married 300 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: women in Spain and the UK. So the point we're 301 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: trying to make is, like you said, Caroline, it is 302 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: erroneous to only frame the conversation around birth control as 303 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: something that is only accessed by possibly teen girls and 304 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 1: UM you know, barely not teen girls essentially um in college. 305 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: And finally, the last point that we um we feel 306 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: like should be raised is that while a lot of 307 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: these single women are being labeled as sluts and even yes, 308 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: whorrors for their sexual behavior or just their choice to 309 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 1: take control, statistically, men engage in risk your sexual behavior 310 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: and with more partners over the life term than women do. 311 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: And this might be an issue of self reporting where 312 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,719 Speaker 1: men might inflate their numbers and women deflate their numbers 313 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:21,439 Speaker 1: because there of those lingering uh social shaming against premarital 314 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: sex and promiscuity. But statistically, men report two to four 315 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: times more sexual partners than women. Yeah. According to a 316 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: National Health Statistics report from March, men a just twenty 317 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: five to forty four and two thousand six to two 318 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: tho eight reported having slept with a median of six women, 319 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,880 Speaker 1: while women in the same age brackets said they slept 320 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: with a median of four men. But men count a 321 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,480 Speaker 1: greater number of sexual acts as sex. And that's just 322 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:54,680 Speaker 1: referring to the median number. When you average out those numbers, 323 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 1: the average number of partners sexual partners that men have 324 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: thirty one point nine. So clearly you have some Wilt 325 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 1: Chamberlain esque outliers in there, whereas the average for women 326 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: is much lower at eight point six. So for me, 327 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:16,200 Speaker 1: the biggest, the biggest takeaway from all this research and 328 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: especially all of these economic models that we've talked about 329 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: at length, UM is a reframing in my brain of 330 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 1: the public conversation that's going on around reproductive rights and 331 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,119 Speaker 1: especially this access to birth control. UM. I can understand 332 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 1: the more politically dicey issues of whether or not employers 333 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:42,640 Speaker 1: should be forced to supply birth control uh two employees, 334 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: But when you get beyond that and actually, you know, 335 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: think about whether or not birth control is somehow turning 336 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: women into just promiscuous sex mongers, you quickly quickly realize 337 00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: that birth control in the technology has much less to 338 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: do with it then our collective actions and acceptance of 339 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:11,199 Speaker 1: sex as a pleasurable activity between people, between people exactly, 340 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 1: it's people being people. So UM. So I hope that 341 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,400 Speaker 1: this has been enlightening for listeners. Um, it was enlightening 342 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: for me. I was not expecting for this conversation to 343 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: take an economic turn, but I'm so glad that economists 344 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: have have taken such a hard look at it right. 345 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,360 Speaker 1: The cost benefit analysis is a perfect way to look 346 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 1: at it. People have to weigh a lot of actual 347 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 1: literal costs how much money it would cost cost to 348 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: raise a child, but they also have to look at 349 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: the more personal, mental and emotional costs. Yeah, and thank heavens, 350 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: we didn't live in New Haven in the six the 351 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,160 Speaker 1: stocks would be uncomfortable. And now it's time to open 352 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: it up to listeners. What what do you think about 353 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: the situation that's going on? Um? Do you think that 354 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,239 Speaker 1: they're should be more access to birth control? Do you 355 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: think that this economic model is totally bunk? Let us 356 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: know your thoughts. Mom Stuff at Discovery dot com is 357 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 1: where you can send them, or you can head over 358 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,159 Speaker 1: to Facebook and leave us a comment there. And in 359 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: the meantime, we got a couple of listener letters to read. 360 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:24,000 Speaker 1: This is an email from Sandy about our foster Care podcast. 361 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: She says, after your paperwork, training and waiting, I've just 362 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: been matched with a ten year old girl for foster 363 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: to adopt placement. We start her gradual transition to my 364 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,399 Speaker 1: house tomorrow. I'm a first time parents who I'm scared 365 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 1: and excited. I'm in Colorado and the state has made 366 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 1: some steps to help foster kids, such as one working 367 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: to keep the child in the same school during care 368 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: if that's in the best interest of the child, to 369 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,400 Speaker 1: requiring high schools to accept all credits when a child 370 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: transfer to the child can stay on track to graduate. 371 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: Three extend Medicaid and other support services through the age 372 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: of one, and four. Work with teenagers so that they 373 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: can gain independent living skills before they age out. Everyone 374 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,400 Speaker 1: I've dealt with has the best interest of the children 375 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: in the hearts and brains, but funding, time and resources 376 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: can only go so far. More families, especially families of color, 377 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 1: are needed for placements. And I've got another email here 378 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: from Rachel also about our foster care episode, and it's 379 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: a sweet story. Um. She writes, I was a product 380 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: of a seventeen year old unweedden mother and I was 381 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: adopted through a close adoption at two and a half 382 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,159 Speaker 1: months of age, but for those first months I was 383 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: in foster care. I've never found my birth mother, but 384 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: I did connect a few years ago with my foster 385 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,879 Speaker 1: family and that was amazing. They still had pictures of 386 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: me as a newborn, with their daughters hugging on me, 387 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: and their family albums, and the most fascinating pictures where 388 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: of the morning before they had to take me to 389 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: the adoption agency to meet my parents. I'd only ever 390 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,880 Speaker 1: seen the pictures that were taken with my parents after 391 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: they were given me same little outfit which my mom 392 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: saved two different families. My foster mother told me that 393 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: she was worried for years that I had woken up 394 00:24:57,320 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: from a nap I was having and then they dropped 395 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: me off and wondered where they were, And it was 396 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,680 Speaker 1: so nice to know that I've been very much loved 397 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: even during that short little gap before I had my 398 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: own family. I think a lot of foster parents are 399 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: the most selfless people in the world that taken a 400 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: child who needs a home, love them like their own, 401 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: and then have to give them back. And she's also 402 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: majoring in social work because she wants to find a 403 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: way to support the adoption industry. So good for you, Rachel, 404 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: and thanks for sharing your thoughts, um and thanks to 405 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 1: everyone who's written in mom stuff. At Discovery dot com 406 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: is the email address, and you can send us a 407 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,199 Speaker 1: little message on Facebook if you'd like. And I do 408 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: have a Facebook request I'm gonna offer up right now. 409 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: We are just about a hundred likes away from a 410 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: nice round ten thousand thumbs up on our fan page. 411 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 1: And I know that it's just numbers, but people look 412 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 1: in Internet land, numbers meet a lot. Yeah. Look, if 413 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: my parents can go on Facebook and like us, you 414 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,199 Speaker 1: can do. So what I'm asking is for I'm going 415 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 1: to call this the thousand Light Drive, not because there's 416 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 1: a good ring to it, because it gets across the 417 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: point I would I would be really pleased if people 418 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: will listen to this episode and go like us on Facebook. 419 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: That's all I'll say about it. And you can also 420 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast, and you 421 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,160 Speaker 1: can read about what we're writing during the week at 422 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 1: how Stuff works dot com. Be sure to check out 423 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join how 424 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 1: Stuff Work staff as we explore the most promising and 425 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The How Stuff Works iPhone app 426 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: has a ride. Download it today on iTunes. Brought to 427 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 1: you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, 428 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: are you