Both the career model and the decision model have been proposed to explain patterns of contraceptive use in teenagers. The career model views contraceptive use as a symbol of a woman's sexuality and implies a clear decision to be sexually active. The decision model is based on the subjective expected utility (SEU) theory which holds that people weigh the perceived costs and benefits of the expected outcomes of various behaviors and select the behavior which maximizes benefits and minimizes costs. In order to test these models, a review of research was conducted. The studies included in the review were those which assesed actual contraceptive use (and nonuse) of sexually active adolescents. Meta-analysis indicated that both models received good support for women, but little support for men. A major variable in the career model for women was sexual role self-acceptance. This model was less applicable to men, possibly because acceptance of their sexuality may be less problematic. In the decision model, women's contraceptive use was positively related to the perceived risk of pregnancy. Research suggests that there is only a little overlap in the sets of variables which affect male and female contraceptive use. (LLL)