Educational gap between partners and sterilization

Objective: This study compares the sterilization behavior of couples with varying joint education levels and union types. Background: A couple's joint education levels affect the resources available to them and the power dynamics within the relationship; they also help determine which spouse takes primary responsibility for the couple's fertility work. However, few studies have examined how couples' sterilization behavior differs according to their joint education levels and union type. Methods: Using data from the 2006-2019 National Survey of Family Growth, this study estimated multinomial logistic regression models to predict the relative risk of relying on female sterilization, male sterilization, or reversible contraception for couples with varying joint education levels and union type. Results: Married and cohabiting couples with higher joint levels of education were less likely than their lesser-educated counterparts to rely on female sterilization. Married couples with higher joint levels of education were more likely than their lesser-educated counterparts to rely on male sterilization. However, for cohabiting couples, disparities in reliance on male sterilization differed little according to their joint levels of education. Conclusion: Future studies should consider how male and female partners' education interact to affect their sterilization behavior. When they do, they should consider their relative and absolute levels of education.