Krystale Littlejohn
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About Krystale
Littlejohn examines race, gender, and reproduction. She is particularly interested in how inequality shapes sexual and reproductive decision-making. Her projects include an investigation of gender and women’s experiences using birth control across relationships and how medical providers talk about birth control in contraception counseling visits.
Contributions
Why Coverage of Prescription Contraception Matters for Men as Well as Women
Publications
Analyzes just over 100 contraception counseling visits to understand how clinicians discuss side effects with patients. Finds that while some present the uncertainty of side effects in a straightforward, patient-accessible way, others negotiate their predictions by suggesting that positive side effects are likely and negative side effects are unlikely and, presenting the risk of serious side effects as controllable.
Presents quantitative and qualitative evidence that contraceptive inconsistency sometimes results from having too little efficacy, a concept that includes the subconcepts of planfulness, self-regulation, assertiveness, and believing that one can affect one’s goals.
Analyzes rich qualitative data from interviews with 51 unmarried women, age 20-29, including complete sexual histories with detailed narratives on each partner regarding contraceptive use and discontinuation.
Argues that the gendered emphasis on women’s appearance and emotionality shapes women’s perceptions about the seriousness of hormonal contraceptive side effects, like weight gain and emotional volatility, and their propensity to stop use as a result.
Examines the effects of race and education on the likelihood that women have ever used particular types of hormonal contraception and have ever discontinued hormonal contraception because of dissatisfaction.