Nobody Brought One: The Condom Availability Gap Australian Women Know Too Well

The Moments Sexual Health Study 2026 found a more ordinary problem. 66.55% of Australian women aged 18 to 45 said they had gone without a condom because neither person had one. 48.09% said it had happened more than once.

Nobody brought one. The moment moved on.

That result reframes the issue. It is not always a dispute about values or consent. Sometimes it is logistics. But logistics are not neutral when one person is quietly expected to carry more of the consequence.

Most women do not carry condoms regularly

37.91% of respondents said they never carry condoms. Another 21.97% used to carry them but no longer do. 40.08% currently carry them at least occasionally.

The barriers were varied:

29.45% assumed a partner would have one.

21.07% did not want to seem as though they were expecting sex.

18.73% felt embarrassed about someone seeing it.

18.01% had never thought about carrying one.

No single explanation dominates. That matters. A campaign that treats every non-carrier as forgetful will miss the women managing judgement. A campaign that treats every barrier as stigma will miss the simple power of habit and access.

Shared in principle. Less shared in practice.

Asked who should be responsible for bringing condoms, 46.47% said both people.

Asked what happened on the most recent relevant occasion, only 21.16% said both supplied them. That is a 25.31 percentage-point gap between the ideal of equal responsibility and the experience of equal supply.

On that most recent occasion, 37.64% said a partner supplied the condom, 12.25% said “me”, and 22.60% said neither person supplied one or no condom was used.

The figures do not tell us why every occasion unfolded as it did. They do show how easily shared responsibility can become an assumption passed back and forth until nobody is holding it.

Make availability a system, not a personality test

Preparedness works better when it is designed into ordinary life: a supply at home, a conversation before it is urgent, and responsibility that is explicit rather than guessed.

Choice can help that habit feel personal rather than punitive. A Moments Party Pack keeps several styles together for people who want variety. Someone who knows they prefer more texture may choose Moments Super Studded. Neither choice solves the social gap. Having an agreed supply does remove one avoidable point of failure.

The goal is not to make women solely responsible for preparedness. It is to stop treating “both of us” as an idea that belongs only in the survey answer.

Read Who carries protection? and explore the complete Moments Sexual Health Study 2026.

About the study

Moments Wellness commissioned an independent research company to conduct a comprehensive nationwide survey of more than 1000 Australian women aged 18 to 45 across metro and regional Australia. The research reports women’s attitudes, and self-reported experiences and behaviour; it did not survey men and should not be read as evidence of men’s beliefs or behaviour. Percentages may not total 100 where respondents could select more than one answer.

FAQ

How many women have gone without a condom because nobody had one?

In this survey, 66.55% said they had gone without a condom because neither person had one. 48.09% said it had happened more than once.

Who do women think should bring condoms?

46.47% said both people should be responsible. Only 21.16% said both supplied condoms on their most recent relevant occasion.

Does shared responsibility mean women should carry condoms?

Shared responsibility means the expectation and practical task should be discussed and agreed, rather than assumed. It should not shift the entire burden to women.

By Christina Zafirov, Moments Editorial Team