Sterilization of the female is emerging as a popular method for the permanent regulation of family size in developed countries, and as one of the more effective methods of population management in developing countries. As women move from poor rural cultures to more affluent urban ones, cultural and religious objections to permanent family planning disappear under the pressures of greater child survival and more hope for self- (and child) improvement. Postpartum sterilization remains the most appropriate and attractive method in terms of timing and technique, but interval sterilization (done in the absence of pregnancy) has stimulated interest in minilaparotomy, laparoscopy, and particular concern as to reversibility of sterilization. The techniques of sterilization will be reviewed as to their relative appropriateness in different cultures and different practices, as well as the problems of reversibility.