If there's a doctor in the house, I'd appreciate some insights as I've always wondered about this ...

Had my first baby at 19, and a set of twins 4 years later.   They hadn't invented a "Pill" yet that didn't whack me with a load of nauseating side effects; I'd become pregnant both times while using contraceptive devices touted by public health officials as "97-99% effective" (LOL!) At 23, I figured 3 kids was more than enough already, so I asked my gynecologist to "fix" me after the babies were born.

He absolutely refused. Said I was way 'too young' for that, and nothing I could say convinced him otherwise. So my husband, only 22 at the time, asked the family doctor about a vasectomy. And surprise of all surprises, the doctor referred him to a urologist without even batting a eye, and he got himself snipped a couple weeks later.

My question is - why IS it ok to snip a 22 year old man who requests it - but not a 23 yr old woman? Is this standard procedure, or is it sexism, or is it due to 'atypical doctoring' in my family's case?