Beyond knowledge: Introducing embodied aversion through the case of contraception

Family planning programs have largely operated at the individual level, seeking to enhance individuals' knowledge of, change attitudes towards, and improve consistent use of efficacious contraception. Social science research has added to these efforts by emphasizing the structural influences that shape individuals’ contraceptive attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Such work highlights the importance of embodied knowledge which is informed by social contexts and provides individuals with a sense of assuredness in knowing which contraception works well for them (and within their bodies). However, through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 59 self-identified women conducted from 2017 to 2018 across the state of Delaware in the United States, we argue that there is a powerful facet of contraceptive decision-making that lies beyond articulatable, conscious knowledge, which we name “embodied aversion.” We draw on affect theory and stigma theory to introduce embodied aversion as an influential feeling and orientation away from implantable and insertable contraceptive methods that arises from internalized stigma around the reproductive body. Embodied aversion overpowers conscious understanding of contraceptive benefits like efficacy, ease of use, and longevity. Our research presents embodied aversion as a missing piece of contraceptive understanding that we argue is vital in more fully conceptualizing experiential dimensions of contraceptive use. Doing so enhances patient-centered care, shared decision-making, and reproductive autonomy.