Previous studies have shown that rates of induced abortion (IA) vary considerably according to socio-demographic factors. They tend to suggest that women with lower levels of education and those of foreign origin are more likely to experience unintended pregnancy and, consequently, abortion. These disparities highlight differences in reproductive health practices, access to family planning services and economic resources. However, there is limited understanding of the combined effect of demographic characteristics, such as age and migratory origin, on IA rates.
Miguel Requena (National University of Distance Education - UNED) and Mikołaj Stanek (University of Salamanca) have investigated how differences in IA rates in Spain stem from differences in group composition. Specifically, they have estimated and compared IA rates in 28 different subpopulations defined by four educational levels and seven groups of country of origin. The researchers have used two main data sources: microdata from the Spanish Ministry of Health's Voluntary Pregnancy Termination Register (2011-2021) and population data from the 2021 Census.
Their results show that both age and education are strongly associated with a higher likelihood of abortion. In 2011, women with lower levels of education had the highest IA rates. By 2021, however, this pattern had shifted. Now it's women with a medium level of education (lower and upper secondary education) who are more likely to have an induced abortion.
In addition, migrant women had nearly twice the IA rate compared to women born in Spain, a pattern consistent with previous studies in this country and other high-income countries. Age-specific rates of induced abortion confirm this pattern, with the highest rates found among women in their twenties who have an intermediate level of education. This trend holds true for all immigrant groups, regardless of origin.
The study highlights the importance of factors such as age and education in explaining differences in abortion rates between populations. It also calls for more research into behavioural influences to better understand the changing patterns of abortion and the reasons behind them.
Acknowledgement: This Digest disseminates results from the project DESIVE - Social Inequalities in Access to Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy, a research project funded by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation 2022-2025.