POVERTY AND PROCREATION AMONG WOMEN - AN ANTHROPOLOGIC STUDY WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS

In this article, select findings from a 5-year ethnographic study of h omeless, pregnant women in Southern California pinpointed the contextu al constraints, along with individual factors, that framed the women's reproductive options and actions. The women had very little choice in the timing, the place, the partner, and the circumstances surrounding conception. Factors contributing to their becoming pregnant were the woman's victimization, economic survival, lack of access to contracept ives, uncertain fertility, desire for intimacy, and hope for the futur e. Findings suggest that even if the women were able to establish repr oductive goals and had the wherewithal to acquire and effectively use contraceptives, situational constraints (homelessness, pregnancy, pove rty, contraception, fertility patterns) might still prevent their succ ess. (C) 1998 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.