Relationship Matters: An Examination of Educational and Racial Disparities in Unintended Pregnancy

Abstract Purpose Most researchers examining educational disparities in unintended pregnancy take a rational-choice perspective, defining pregnancy intention as a fixed state within decontextualized individuals. However, evidence suggests that women’s reproductive intentions may be more relational than rational, and that relationship context varies by education. This study investigated if relationship context could explain educational disparities in unintended pregnancy. Methodology Using the 2006–2015 National Survey of Family Growth (n = 4,320 pregnancies), I calculated structural equation models and predicted probabilities to examine if relational stability (marital status) and partner specificity (wanting a baby with a particular man) mediated the association between education and pregnancy intendedness for White, Hispanic, and Black women. Findings Relational stability and partner specificity mediated the association between education and pregnancy intention for all three groups. Education was rendered insignificant after controlling for race, marital status, partner specificity, and age. Marital status was a better predictor for White women than Hispanic women, and was not statistically significant for Black women. Partner specificity had greater influence on pregnancy intendedness than marital status, and its effect varied only slightly by race. Thus, disparities in marriage and access to desired partners influence educational disparities in unintended pregnancy. Implications These findings suggest that partner specificity could prove particularly useful in predicting unintended pregnancy as rates of non-marital pregnancies continue to rise. They also indicate that a shift in research and policy focus from decontextualized individuals to relationships between women and men is warranted.