Reproductive Decision-Making: What Type of Social Support do Women Living in Victoria, Australia Seek and Are They...

This paper describes the social support women aged 25-35 years living in Victoria, Australia draw on during the reproductive decision-making process specific to the type of support they seek and their satisfaction with that support.

We conducted a cross-sectional study that collected data through an online questionnaire administered via Qualtrics. This included both closed- and open-ended questions, exploring women's experiences of receiving social support for reproductive decision-making, the types of support they sought, and their satisfaction with the support received. Using convenience sampling, we recruited 234 women aged 25-35 years.

The women highlighted a myriad of factors that influenced their experiences of seeking and receiving support (or not), both positively and negatively. These included individual or micro-level factors (e.g., interpersonal relationships); contextual factors (e.g., issue and/or time-dependent); and macro/societal level factors (e.g., social attitudes and norms). The type of support depends on the reproductive decision, with women employing strategies to enhance their satisfaction with support.

These findings are important to inform and advocate for future public health and social policy to support women's decision-making and overall health and wellbeing related to their reproductive autonomy.