Proportion of women who were currently using the pill, male condom, or were sterilised or their partner was sterilised, or were not currently in a heterosexual relationship by age: Great Britain, 2002
The 2002 GHS included questions on the use of contraception for the first time since 1998. The earliest trend data are available from 1986. Since then, the most common methods for avoiding pregnancy used by women aged 16 to 49 have been the contraceptive pill, surgical sterilisation (both male and female) and the male condom.
In 2002, 72 per cent of women aged 16 to 49 used at least one form of contraception, a figure that has remained relatively constant since it was first measured.
There has been a small increase in the proportion of women using the contraceptive pill, from 23 per cent in 1986 to 26 per cent in 2002. This increase was only statistically significant among women aged 16 to 17, 30 to 34 and 45 to 49 however.
Trend patterns in the use of surgical sterilisation vary according to the woman’s age. For example, among women aged 45 to 49 and their partners, use of sterilisation has increased significantly from 35% in 1986 to 44 per cent in 2002.
Current use of contraception by marital status, Great Britain, 2002
There has been a steady rise in the proportion of women whose partners use condoms, from 13 per cent in 1986 to 19 per cent in 2002. Again, this trend was not observed across all age groups. Among women aged 45 to 49, condom use has declined since 1986. It has remained fairly constant among women aged 35 to 44 and increased among women under the age of 35.
For more detailed information, please download the Contraception PDF on the right-hand side of the page.
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