Contraceptive Use in Canada, 2001 to 2011

This study seeks to update the findings of Martin and Wu in 2000 by examining current trends, patterns, and determinants of contraceptive use among Canadian women by using data from Statistics Canada’s 2001 and 2011 General Social Surveys. Using mostly bivariate statistics, along with multivariate logistic regressions, the study finds significant relationships between contraceptive use and socioeconomic status, cultural background, age, education, and income. Notably, the results show a significant shift in contraceptive method choice in the past few decades, and sheds light on the motivations of voluntary non-users by linking trends in the data to theories of pregnancy ambivalence and reproductive autonomy.