Contraception Gender Would you like to be the recipient of a snakeskin condom? Men and women have been using birth control for thousands of years. Generally, though, if you look back, you've seen a big difference in how and why contraception was used for opposite sexes. The focus on effective birth control in history was primarily on women, while male contraception was focused on disease prevention. This can be traced back to one of the first known uses of the condom. Roman soldiers used sheepskin condoms not to prevent pregnancy but to fight disease. Chinese records on the other hand show that 4,000 years ago women in their culture drank mercury to prevent pregnancy. This is an ongoing trend. Past findings not only show that there was a difference in contraception use between the sexes, but there was also a distinct level of convenience of the devices themselves. An example you can find of this is Casanova's use of a linen condom, not to say that its comfort ability is comparable to today's male condoms, but most would find it more relaxing than a feminine device of the 'era considered the "box". Women of the time inserted the "box", a 6-sided concave wooden object, inside their vagina hoping to block any sperm that attempted to escape. Needless to say, the "box" was declared an instrument of torture and its use was discontinued. Even today, contraception has been more focused on women. If you think about the possible male contraceptive techniques, there are only three, while a fourth hormonal technique is in development. The three include condom use, abstinence, and vasectomy. On the other hand, when you look at what options the female has, the list is numerous. Some are jellies, female condoms, pessaries, intrauterine devices, condoms, birth control pills, and barriers.