Unplanned Pregnancy among Sailors: Background and Opportunities
Abstract
Unplanned pregnancies among active duty Sailors continue to be of concern. In 2001, 10% of young (E-2 through E-4) female Sailors became pregnant. Of all pregnancies among surveyed enlisted female Sailors during that year, only 1 of 3 (36%) was planned. In FY2002, this rate fell to 30%. The national "Healthy People 2010" objective is to increase the proportion of pregnancies that are intended to 70%. Planned pregnancy rates among surveyed active duty Navy enlisted women in 1988, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003 are shown in Figure 1. Navy women who become pregnant often report the father to be another military member. For the most recent pregnancy experienced by those ever pregnant while in the Navy, 73% of enlisted members surveyed in 2001 said the father was a military man. About half of the enlisted female Sailors who experienced an unplanned pregnancy were unmarried (49%), and about half of the enlisted female Sailors that experienced an unplanned pregnancy were married during their most recent pregnancy (49 percent). The vast majority (81%) of men who fathered the children of unmarried Sailors in 1999 were military men. A significant proportion of these children are born to single parents. Among male enlisted Sailors, one of four single fathers with custody in 2001 was unmarried. Of female parents Navy-wide, 24% were single in 2001. Of male Navy parents in 2001, 6% were single. Fully 7% of all Navy women in 2001 were single parents, as were 3% of all Navy men. In 2003, there were over 5,000 single Navy mothers and over 10,000 single Navy fathers. The report also discusses the consequences of unplanned pregnancy, particularly single parenthood, and the costs of such pregnancies to the Navy in terms of dollars, reduced duty hours, absence from the workplace, reassignment, and staff shortages. Also discussed are sailors' attitudes toward birth control, knowledge of birth control, education about birth control, and access to birth control.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 05, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA481175